^BV  4315  .H38  1920  v. 2 
Hastings,  James,  1852-1922. 
The  children's  great  texts 
of  the  Bible 


V'  C^ 


THE  CHILDREN'S 
GREAT  TEXTS  OF  THE  BIBLE 


The  CHILDREN'S  Great  Texts 

Vol.      I.  GENESIS  TO  JOSHUA 
„      II.  JUDGES  TO  JOB 
^    III.  PSALMS  TO  ISAL\H 
„     IV.  JEREMIAH  TO   MATTHEW 
„      V.  MARK  TO  JOHN 
„    VL  ACTS  TO  REVELATIONS 


THE  CHILDREN'S 
GREAT  TEXTS  OF  THE 

BIBLE 


.EDITED  BY 

JAMES    HASTINGS,    D.D. 

BSITOR  OP    "thK  BXPOSITORY   TIMES "   "  THE  DICTIONARY  OF  THE  BI8LC* 
**THE  KKCYCXOP/SDIA  OF  KELIGIOK  AND  BTHICS " 
AND   OTHER   WORICS 


Volume  II 

JUDGES  to  JOB 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1920 


CONTENTS 


God's  Suns  (Judg.  v.  31)     . 

Gideon  the  Brave  (Judg.  vi.  12)  . 

The  Fowler's  Snare  (Judg.  viii.  27) 

The  King  op  the  Trees  (Judg.  ix.  8) 

A  Swarm  op  Bees  (Judg.  xiv.  8)  . 

Samson  (Judg.  xvi.  28) 

Taken  by  Surprise  (Judg.  xviii.  7) 

Gleaners  (Ruth  ii.  7) 

Somebody's  Noticing  (Ruth  ii.  11). 

A  Little  Coat  (1  Sam.  ii.  19) 

The  Child-Prophet  (1  Sam.  ii.  26) 

The  Right  Kind  op  Ears  (1  Sam.  ilL  10) 

Inquire  Within  (1  Sam.  xvi.  7)     . 

Only  a  Shepherd  Boy  (1  Sam.  xvi.  11) 

Five  Smooth  Stones  (1  Sara.  xvii.  40) 

The  Friend  op  David  (1  Sara,  xviii.  1) 

Walls  (1  Sam.  xxv.  16) 

God's  Jewel-Case  (1  Sara.  xxv.  29) 

A  Fool's  Cap  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  21 ;  1  Cor.  iv. 

Paying  Your  Debts  (2  Sam.  ii.  4) . 

God's  Dwellinq-Place  (2  Sam.  vi.  11) 

A  Promise   and  how   it   was   Kept   (1 

2  Sam.  ix.  7)        . 
Flaying  the  Man  (2  Sam.  x.  12)  . 
Absalom  (2  Sara.  xiv.  25)     . 
Acting  Fssiry-Boat  (2  Sam.  xix.  18) 


10) 


Sam. 


XX.  15 


1 

6 
14 
17 

23 

29 
35 
40 
46 
51 
56 
58 
63 
68 
72 
77 
82 
85 
89 
95 
100 

105 
113 
119 
124 


VI 


CONTENTS 


The  Greati^ess  of  Gentleness  (2  Sam.  xxii.  36) 

Jewels  in  the  Mud  (2  Sam.  xxii.  43) 

A  Morning  without  Clouds  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  4) 

A  Precious  Gift  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  16) 

A  Throne  for  the  King's  Mother  (1  Kings  ii.  19) 

Bay-Dreams  (1  Kings  iii.  15) 

The  Tree  of  the  Lord  (1  Kings  iv.  33)  , 

Narrow  Lights  (1  Kings  vi.  4) 

Rehoboam  the  Unwise  (1  Kings  xii.  8)    . 

Pretending  (1  Kings  xiv.  6) 

Trust  and  Get  the  Blessing  (1  Kings  xvii.  15) 

Lame  Minds  (1  Kings  xviii.  21) 

Jjlttle  Things  (1  Kings  xviii.  44)  . 

The  Letter  "  I "  (1  Kings  xix.  10). 

Boasting  (1  Kings  xx.  11)    . 

Busyness  and  Business  (1  Kings  xx.  40) . 

Cheating  God  (1  Kings  xxii.  30,  34) 

The  Little  Word  "  But  "  (2  Kings  v.  1) , 

Some  Great  Thing  (2  Kings  v.  13) 

Seeing  the  Unseen  (2  Kings  vi.  17) 

The  King's  Crown  (2  Kings  xi.  12) 

Monby-Boxes  (2  Kings  xii.  9) 

A  "Remable"  Story  (2  Kings  xii.  15)     . 

God's  Gifts  and  Ours  (1  Chron.  xxix.  14) 

The  Man  whom  Nobody  Missed  (2  Chron.  xxi.  20) 

The  Secret  of  Strength  (2  Chron.  xxvii.  6) 

O.H.M.S.  (2  Chron.  xxx.  6)  . 

Two  Saints  op  God  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  1,  3) 

Yesterday,  To-day,  To-morrow  (Eyra  iii  4) 

Absolutely  It  (Ezra  vi.  23) 

The  Colour  op  Virtue  (Ezra  ix.  6  ;  Jer.  vi  16) 

How  They  Built  the  Walls  (Neh.  iv.  9, 17) 

A  Good  Day  (Est.  ix.  19,  22) 

A  Spider's  Web  (Job  viii.  14)       . 

A  Lauohing-Stock  (Job  xii.  4)       .  • 


CONTENTS 


Vll 


A  Djuven  LftAr  (Job  xiii.  25) 

A  Prisoneb  in  the  Stocks  (Job  xiii.  27) 

A  Moth-Eaten  Garment  (Job  xiii.  28)     , 

Kemovimg  Rocks  (Job  xviii.  4)       .  , 

The  Topaz  (Job  xxviii.  19) .  .  . 

Seals  (Job  xxxviii.  14)         . 

The  Treasures  op  the  Snow  (Job  xxxriii  22) 

Who  Sends  the  Rain  ?  (Job  xxxviii.  28) . 

Pointers  (Job  xxxviii.  32)  .  ,  • 

Sesing  the  Kino  (Job  xliu  5)       •  »  ' 


rAss 
292 

295 

300 

304 

307 

312 

315 

320 

324 

328 


THE    CHILDREN'S 
GREAT    TEXTS. 

GOD'S   SUNS. 

Let  them  that  love  him  be  as  the  sun  when  he  g^oeth  fortii  in 
his  might.— Judg;.  v.  31. 

Did  you  ever  try  to  think  of  what  the  world  would  be 
like  without  the  sun  ?  As  a  matter  of  fact  there 
wouldn't  be  any  world  at  all,  at  least  not  the  world  as 
we  know  it.  There  would  be  nothing  but  a  mass  of 
dead  matter  whirling  through  space.  If  it  were  not 
for  the  sun  there  would  be  no  light,  no  colour:,  no  heat, 
no  flowers,  no  grass,  no  treee,  no  animals,  no  human 
beings,  no  life  at  all  on  the  earth. 

Now  our  text  is  a  prayer  that  those  who  love  God 
may  be  "  as  the  sun  when  he  goeth  forth  in  his  might." 
I  wonder  how  that  could  be  ?  Well  it  is  like  this. 
Those  who  really  and  truly  love  God,  love  also  every- 
thing that  God  loves.  And  love  is  juet  like  the  sun. 
Tt  fills  the  earth  with  life,  and  light,  and  warmth  and 
beauty.  Without  it  the  world  would  be  a  bad  place 
and  a  sad  plaee.  Without  it  the  world  wouldn't  be  fit 
to  live  in. 


2  GOD'S  SUNS 

Will  you  try  to  remember  three  things  ?  " 

1.  Love  is  like  the  sun  because  it  brings  li^ht.  And 
light  means  gladness  and  beauty. 

Centuries  ago  there  was  built  in  Florence  a  wonder- 
ful palace  called  the  Eiccardi  Palace.  Part  of  this 
palace  was  set  apart  as  a  chapel,  and  a  famous  artist 
was  engaged  to  adorn  the  walls  with  beautiful  frescoes 
which,  as  some  of  you  know,  are  paintings  on  plaster. 

Now  there  was  a  curious  thing  about  this  chapel — it 
had  no  windows.  The  artist  was  obliged  to  paint  by 
the  dim  light  of  a  1  oup.  And  for  many,  many  years 
those  who  camo  to  view  the  chapel  could  see  the 
wonderful  frescoes  only  by  the  same  insufficient  light. 
They  had  to  strain  their  eyes  to  look  at  them  and  even 
then  they  could  see  them  but  imperfectly. 

Then  one  day  a  picture  was  removed  from  above  the 
altar,  and  a  hole  was  pierced  in  the  wall  behind  where 
it  had  been.  The  glorious  sunlight  streamed  in  and 
filled  the  chapel.  It  revealed  the  exquisite  frescoes 
in  all  their  glory,  bringing  out  the  marvellous  colour- 
ings and  the  perfection  of  line  and  shadow. 

And,  boys  and  girls,  love  is  just  like  that,  the  love 
of  God  and  man.  It  fills  the  earth  with  joy  and 
beauty.  It  brings  gladness  to  weary  and  sad  hearts. 
It  shows  us  beauty  in  the  things  we  had  thought  plain, 
beauty  that  before  was  hidden  from  our  eyes. 

2.  And  then  love  is  like  the  sun  because  it  brings 
loamUh.     And  warmth  brings  life  and  comfort. 

You  know  how   it  is  in  the  springtime,  how  the 


JUDGES  V.  31  3 

little  plants  that  have  been  lying  sleeping  under  tlie 
frozen  ground  begin  to  stir  in  their  sleep  when  the  sun 
shines  brightly  and  warmly.  You  know  how  it  is  in 
the  summer — how  the  flower-buds  open  their  cups  in 
response  to  the  warm  kiss  of  the  sun.  You  know  how 
it  is  in  the  autumn — how  the  grain  turns  ripe  and 
yellow  in  the  golden  sunshine. 

And  love  is  just  like  that.  It  thaws  the  frozen 
hearts,  it  softens  the  hard  ones,  it  makes  the  sweet 
flowers  of  gentleness  and  kindness  to  spring  up  an«l 
blossom,  it  ripens  and  mellows  the  sterner  natures. 

3.  And  then  love  is  like  the  sun  because  it  gives 
power. 

You  have  all  heard  of  George  Stephenson,  the  man 
who  invented  the  first  railway  engine.  Well,  one  day 
Stephenson  was  standing  with  a  friend — Dr.  Buckland 
— at  the  side  of  a  railway  when  a  train  came  rushing 
past.  Stephenson  said,  "Now  Buckland,  I  have  a 
question  to  ask.  Can  you  tell  me  what  power  is 
driving  that  train ?  "  "I  suppose  it  is  one  of  your  big 
engines,"  replied  Buckland.  "Yes,  yes,  but  what 
drives  the  engine  ? "  said  the  inventor.  Again  Buckland 
answered,  "Very  likely  a  driver  from  Newcastle' 
Stephenson  smiled,  "  What  do  you  say  to  the  light  of 
the  sun  doing  it  ? "  he  asked.  And  Buckland  replied, 
"  How  can  that  be  ? " 

Then  Stephenson  explained  how  millions  of  years 
ago  the  plants  and  trees  growing  on  the  earth  drank 
in  the  rays  of  the  sun,  how  after  they  died  they  were 


4  GOD'S  SUNS 

chaBged  in  the  course  of  long  ages  into  coal,  how  the 
coal  when  it  burned  was  just  giving  out  this  bottled 
sunshine  which  it  had  drunk  in,  so  that  it  was  in 
reality  the  sunshine  of  long  ago  that  was  driving  the 
train  along  the  rails. 

And  love  is  a  tremendous  power  too.  It  can  accom- 
plish what  nothing  else  can  accomplish. 

In  a  certain  school  there  was  a  headmaster  whom 
the  boys  disliked.  They  thought  him  hard  and  severe, 
and  so  they  made  up  their  minds  to  annoy  him  as 
much  as  they  could.  And  when  boys  make  up  their 
minds  to  that  you  know  what  they  can  do  I  Well, 
these  boys  cribbed  their  exercises,  they  neglected  their 
studies,  they  paid  as  little  attention  as  possible  to  the 
master's  orders,  they  never  did  anything  he  really 
wanted,  and  they  strove  to  do  all  the  things  he  didn't 
want. 

But  one  day  a  boy  was  very  badly  hurt  in  the 
playground  and  some  of  the  others  ran  to  fetch  the 
master.  He  came  immediately  and  he  sent  one  of  the 
boys  off  at  once  to  bring  the  doctor.  Then  he  stooped 
down  and  lifted  the  injured  boy  in  his  arms,  oh,  so 
tenderly  !  And  he  spoke  to  him  so  softly,  and  bound 
up  his  wounds  with  such  firm,  gentle  fingers  that 
one  of    the  other   boys   exclaimed,   "Why,   he   loves 

From  that  day  the  school  was  a  changed  place.  The 
boys  had  seen  their  master  with  new  eyes,  and  now, 
instead  of  trying  to  annoy  him,  they  did  their  best  to 
please  him.      They    respected    him    and    obeyed    his 


JUDGES  V.   31  5 

instruotione.  It  was  love  that  had  wrou^t  iAie 
miracle. 

Boys  and  girls,  the  world  needs  love  more  than 
anything  else.  It  is  love  that  is  going  to  make  it  anew. 
It  is  lore  that  will  do  for  it  what  nothing  else  will  do. 
God  is  love,  and  He  sent  Jesus  to  live  amongst  »8  and 
to  die  for  us  just  to  prove  that  to  us.  God  is  love,  and 
wherever  there  is  love  there  is  a  bit  of  God.  God  is 
love,  and  He  wants  to  shed  abroad  His  love  on  earth 
through  you  and  through  me. 

Would  you  like  to  be  God's  suns  in  the  world, 
bringing  light  and  warmth  and  power  to  all  ?  Then 
you  must  take  your  hearts  to  the  great  Sun  of 
Kighteousness,  the  Source  of  all  light  and  love.  You 
must  take  them  to  Him  and  ask  Him  to  shine  inta 
them.  Then,  and  then  only,  you  will  be  able  to  shine 
for  Him. 


GIDEON  THE  BRAVE. 

The  Lord  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  ▼alour.— Judg. 

m,  12. 

I  WONDER  how  many  of  you  keep  a  picture  gallery  of 
heroes  ?  I  don't  mean  a  real  gallery  of  pictui-ee,  but 
one  that  exists  in  your  mind.  I  expect  moet  of  you 
have  such  a  gallery,  and  I  think  I  can  guess  the  names 
of  some  of  the  portraits  that  are  hanging  there.  There 
are  Ealeigh  and  Drake,  Wellington  and  Nelson, 
Florence  Nightingale  and  General  Grordon,  I^rd 
Eoberts  and  Kitchener.  Lately  you  have  been  adding 
many  new  pictures — -pictures  of  the  glorious  heroes 
who  fought  and  died  in  the  Great  War. 

Now  it  is  a  good  thing  to  keep  a  gallery  of  brave 
men  and  women,  because  if  we  look  at  their  portraits 
often  enough  we  shall  perhaps  grow  a  little  like  them. 
And  I  want  you  to  find  room  among  your  collection  for 
a  hero  of  the  olden  times — Gideon,  the  "  mighty  man 
of  valour." 

The  thing  that  I  like  best  about  Gideon,  and  the 
reason  why  I  have  chosen  him  for  one  of  my  heroes,  is 
that  he  was  a  man  who  was  afraid.  That  seems  a 
funny  thing  to  say  about  a  hero,  doesn't  it  ?  but  it  is 
only  half  the  truth.     Would  you  like   to   know   the 


JUDGES  VI.   12  7 

whole  of  it  ?  He  was  a  man  who  was  afraid — and  yet 
went  on  in  spite  of  his  fear.  And  that  was  just  the 
reason  why  he  was  so  brave.  For  the  bravest  men  or 
women,  the  bravest  boys  or  girls,  are  not  those  who 
feel  no  fear,  but  those  who  are  afraid  and  yet  make 
their  will  conquer  their  fear. 

When  we  first  meet  Gideon  he  is  beating  out  corn 
with  a  stick  in  the  winepress  for  fear  of  the  Midianites. 
But  to  understand  that  we  must  go  back  a  little. 

The  Israelites  had  forgotten  the  God  who  had 
brought  their  fathers  safely  into  the  land  of  Canaan. 
They  had  begun  to  worship  the  false  gods  of  the 
Canaanites.  So  they  had  lost  hold  of  the  great  pure 
faith  in  Jehovah  which  had  bound  them  together  in 
many  a  hard  experience  and  brought  them  triumphantly 
through  many  a  stern  battle.  As  a  consequence  they 
had  become  weak  and  unnerved  and  cowardly. 

It  was  then  that  the  Midianites — fierce  bands  of 
marauders  under  their  robber  chiefs — came  up  and 
laid  waste  the  land.  When  the  corn  was  whitening  to 
the  harvest  they  cut  it  down,  when  the  grapes  were 
ripening  on  the  vines  they  carried  them  away.  They 
carried  off  sheep  and  cattle  and  everything  they  could 
lay  their  hands  on.  And  the  terrified  Israelites  fled 
before  them  and  took  refuge  in  the  dens  and  caves  of 
the  mountains. 

Year  after  year,  for  seven  years,  this  happened. 
Then  at  last  the  people  of  Israel  cried  to  God  to 
deliver  them.     It  seems  shabby,  doesn't  it  ?    So  long 


8  GIDEON  THE  BRAVE 

as  they  were  prosperous  they  forgot  God,  but  when 
things  began  to  go  wrong  they  were  pleased  to 
remember  Him. 

And  if  God  were  like  most  of  us  He  would  have  let 
them  go  their  own  way.  But  our  Father  in  heaven  is 
forgiving  and  merciful  and  loving.  He  had  allowed 
the  Midianites  to  come  up  and  harass  His  people 
because  He  knew  that  these  fierce  robbers  would  do 
the  Israelites  less  harm  than  they  would  do  to 
themselves  by  running  away  from  Him.  And  when 
the  people  cried  out  to  Him  like  hurt  children  He 
hastened  to  their  aid  as  a  mother  does  to  the  aid  of 
her  hurt  child.  He  sent  them  as  a  deliverer  Gideon, 
the  **  mighty  man  of  valour." 

So  now  we  understand  why  Gideon  was  beating  out 
corn  in  secret.  He  had  managed  to  secure  a  little  of 
his  father's  crop  before  the  Midianites  could  steal  it. 
But  instead  of  having  it  threshed  out  at  the  threshing- 
floor,  which  was  in  an  exposed  place,  he  was  laboriously 
beating  it  out  in  the  winepress — a  tank  or  trough 
hollowed  out  in  the  rock  where  the  grapes  were  trodden. 

It  was  while  he  was  busy  with  this  duty  that  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  and  bade  him  go 
and  save  his  people  from  the  Midianites.  And  it  was 
then  that  Gideon  showed  the  first  sign  of  fear  and 
hesitation.  His  family  was  the  least  in  the  tribe  and 
he  was  the  youngest  son.  How  could  he  save  Israel  ? 
Besides,  he  wanted  to  be  quite  sure  that  the  messenger 
came  from  Goil,  quite  sure  that  it  was  God  who  was 
sending  him  forth.     So  he  asked  the  angel  to  remain 


JUDGES  VI.   12  9 

just  where  he  was  until  he  should  bring  him  an 
oflering  of  food.  He  went  home  and  got  ready  a  kid 
and  some  unleavened  cakes.  And  he  brought  the  flesh 
in  a  basket  and  the  soup  in  a  vessel.  The  angel  bade 
him  lay  the  flesh  and  unleavened  cakes  upon  the  rock 
and  pour  out  the  broth.  Then  he  touched  the  offering 
with  the  end  of  his  staff  and  fire  came  out  of  the  rock 
and  consumed  it. 

So  Gideon  was  convinced  that  it  was  God  Himself 
who  had  spoken  to  him  in  the  person  of  the  angel,  and 
he  was  ready  for  any  service,  no  matter  how  dangerous 
that  service  might  be. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  That  very  night  God  told 
him  to  go  and  destroy  the  altar  of  Baal  that  his  own 
father  had  set  up,  and  to  erect  in  its  place  an  altar  to 
Jehovah.  Gideon  promptly  obeyed.  He  took  ten  of 
his  servants  with  him  and  in  the  darkness  of  the  night 
they  overthrew  the  altar  of  Baal  and  set  up  an  altar 
to  Jehovah  whereon  they  sacrificed  a  bullock. 

I  sometimes  think  that  Gideon  was  never  so  brave 
as  when  he  dared  to  destroy  the  altar  of  Baal.  To 
throw  down  the  sacred  symbols  of  a  people's  religion  is 
like  thrusting  your  hand  into  a  wasp's  nest.  And  I 
have  often  wondered  if  these  ten  men  who  accom- 
panied him  formed  part  of  the  valiant  three  hundred 
who  later  went  with  him  at  dead  of  night  to  surprise 
the  camp  of  the  Midianites. 

Well,  in  the  morning  there  was  a  terrible  uproar. 
Of  course  the  overthrown  altar  was  discovered,  and 
somehow  or  other  it  leaked  out  that  Gideon  had  done 


10  GIDEON  THE  BRAVE 

the  deed.  The  followers  of  Baal  wanted  to  put  him  to 
death  immediately,  but  his  life  was  saved  by  the  shrewd 
council  of  his  father  who  argued  that  if  Baal  were 
really  a  god  he  himself  would  take  revenge  upon  the 
destroyer  of  his  altar.  Of  course  nothing  happened, 
and  from  being  a  much  miscalled  person  Gideon 
became  a  popular  hero. 

It  was  just  then  that  the  Midianites  gathered 
together  a  huge  army,  invaded  the  land  of  Israel,  and 
encamped  in  the  valley  of  Jezreel. 

And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Gideon  and 
he  blew  a  trumpet  and  gathered  together  the  men  of 
his  own  clan.  Then  he  sent  messengers  throughout 
his  tribe — the  tribe  of  Manasseh — and  throughout  the 
tribes  of  Asher  and  Zebulun  and  Naphtali;  and  he 
gathered  together  an  army  of  thirty-two  thousand 
men. 

It  was  then,  just  when  he  had  got  together  his 
army,  that  Gideon  began  to  be  afraid  again.  This 
time  he  wanted  to  make  sure  that  God  would  really 
save  Israel  by  his  hand,  and  again  he  asked  for  a  sign. 

He  had  with  him  a  sheepskin — perhaps  his  sheep- 
skin cloak.  He  laid  it  down  on  the  threshing-floor  in 
the  evening  and  asked  that,  if  God  meant  to  save 
Israel  by  him,  the  fleece  might  be  wet  with  dew  in  the 
morning  and  all  the  ground  round  it  dry.  And  he  rose 
up  early  in  the  morning  and  found  it  as  he  had  desired. 
Then  he  asked  that  the  miracle  might  be  reversed,  and 
that  this  time  the  fleece  might  be  dry,  and  the  ground 
wet.    And  so  it  was. 


JUDGES  VI.   12  11 

Then  Gideon  went  forward  bravely  to  his  task. 
And  you  remember  what  a  task  it  was.  He  had 
thirty-two  thousand  men,  but  the  Midianites  had  four 
times  as  many,  and  yet  he  was  told  to  reduce  his  army. 
First  of  all  he  was  told  to  send  home  all  the  men  who 
were  afraid.  And  twenty-two  thousand  deserted  him. 
Then  God  told  him  to  take  the  remaining  men  down  to 
a  pool  of  water  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  and  test  them 
there.  Those  who  knelt  or  lay  down  to  drink  were  to 
be  sent  away,  and  those  who  remained  alert  and  on 
guard,  merely  tossing  a  little  water  to  their  mouths  in 
passing,  were  to  be  kept.  Of  all  the  ten  thousand  only 
three  hundred  stood  the  test. 

I  am  not  going  to  tell  you  the  story  of  the  faithful 
three  hundred,  because  it  is  splendidly  related  in  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Judges  and  you  can  read  it  for  your- 
selves ;  but  I  want  you  to  notice  that  before  Gideon 
fell  upon  the  Midianites  God  gave  him  a  final  assurance. 
He  didn't  ask  for  it ;  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go 
forward  whatever  happened  ;  but  I  think  he  must  still 
have  been  feeling  a  little  nervous.  And  no  wonder ! 
For  who  would  not  feel  nervous  about  attacking  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  men  with  a  feeble 
band  of  three  hundred  ? 

So  God  told  Gideon  to  take  his  servant  Phurah  and 
creep  down  into  the  Midianite  camp  at  dead  of  night. 
There  he  would  hear  something  that  would  give  him 
confidence  and  strength.  And  when  the  two  scouts 
reached  the  camp  they  heard  one  soldier  relating  a 
dream  to  another.     He  told  how  he  had  dreamt  that  a 


12  GIDEON  THE  BRAVE 

loaf  of  barley  bread,  the  coarse  fare  of  the  poorest 
peasants,  came  tumbling  down  the  hill  and  fell  against 
the  tent.  And  instead  of  being  stopped  by  the  tent 
the  loaf  had  knocked  the  tent  over.  Then  the  other 
soldier  replied  in  terror  that  the  dream  meant  nothing 
else  than  that  God  had  deUvered  the  whole  host  of 
Midian  into  the  hands  of  Gideon. 

You  know  how  Gideon  went  back  to  his  three 
hundred  men  strengthened  by  that  story,  and  how  he 
led  them  on  to  complete  victory, 

One  more  glimpse  we  get  of  Gideon's  coumge.  It  is 
when,  at  the  end  of  that  day's  battle,  he  and  his  three 
hundred  men  come  to  the  Jordan  and  cross  over  "  faint, 
yet  pursuing."  He  had  the  courage  to  endure  as  well 
as  to  fight,  and  these  words  "  faint,  yet  pursuing  "  have 
often  been  taken  as  a  motto  of  the  Christian  life. 

So,  boys  and  girls,  don't  be  discouraged  if  you  some- 
times feel  afraid,  only  be  afraid  of  giving  way  to  your 
fears. 

There  is  a  famous  story  of  a  great  soldier,  Lord 
Napier  of  Magdala,  which  might  well  stand  beside  that 
of  Gideon.  When,  as  a  young  subaltern,  he  was  riding 
into  his  first  action  his  face  was  as  pale  as  death.  And 
a  burly  soldier  who  rode  beside  him  and  had  been 
through  many  a  fight  sneered  at  him.  "  Why,  you're 
afraid!"  said  he.  "Yes,"  replied  the  other,  "I'm 
horribly  afraid  ;  and  if  you  were  half  as  afraid  as  I 
am,  you'd  cut  and  run  ! "  Don't  you  think  that  was  a 
splendid  answer  ? 


JUDGES  VI.   12  13 

And  one  thing  more  I  want  you  to  remember.  God 
is  able  to  make  heroes  of  cowards.  That  was  the 
message  to  Gideon — "  The  Lord  is  with  thee."  Gideon 
would  not  have  been  half  the  man  he  was  if  it  had  not 
been  for  his  faith  in  God.  And  so  he  was  thought  fit 
to  take  a  place  among  that  great  gallery  of  heroes  in 
the  eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews  who  through  faith 
"  out  of  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in 
fight,  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens." 

We  began  by  speaking  of  picture  galleries,  and  we 
shall  end  by  speaking  of  them.  I  asked  you  to  find 
room  for  the  portrait  of  Gideon.  Will  you  find  room 
for  one  other  ?  It  is  the  portrait  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
greatest  Hero  who  ever  lived.  If  you  keep  that  like- 
ness always  beside  you,  if  you  look  at  it  often  enough, 
you  will  find  that,  of  even  the  most  timid  among  you, 
He  is  able  to  make  a  hero  like  Himself. 


THE  FOWLER'S   SNARE. 

It  became  a  snare  unto  Gideon,  and  to  his  house. — Judg. 
viii.  27. 

Gideon  had  led  the  people  of  Israel  in  a  great  battle 
and  led  them  very  successfully.  Their  enemies  had 
been  completely  beaten  and  had  fled,  leaving  a  great 
many  dead  behind  them.  The  Israelites  were  so 
delighted  that  they  begged  Gideon  to  be  their  king  and 
rule  over  them,  but  he  refused.  But,  as  a  reward  for  what 
he  had  done,  he  asked  them  to  give  him  the  gold  ear- 
rings which  they  had  taken  from  their  defeated  enemies. 
And  he  melted  down  the  gold  and  made  it  into  an  ephod, 
a  kind  of  image.  Probably  he  did  not  think  he  was 
doing  any  harm,  but  rather  good,  in  making  a  religious 
image.  But  the  end  of  it  all  was  that  the  people  of 
Israel  took  to  worshipping  this  image  and  "  it  became  a 
snare  unto  Gideon,  and  to  his  house,"  a  trap  that  led 
them  into  idolatry. 

Snares  are  often  spoken  of  in  the  Bible.  They  were 
used  for  catching  wild  birds  and  small  animals,  and  are 
used  still.  One  kind  of  snare  was  a  net  kept  open  by 
a  stick  which  sprang  out  when  it  was  touched  and  left 
the  bird  in  the  net.  Another  was  a  wicker  cage,  the 
lid  of  which  was  propped  open,  and  fell  after  the  bird 

14 


JUDGES  VIII.  27  15 

was  in.  Small  birds  like  sparrows  and  linnets  were 
caught  by  spreading  sticky  stuff,  called  bird-lime,  on 
the  branches  of  trees.  A  singing- bird  was  hung  in  a 
cage  close  by  to  attract  the  wild  ones.  These  stuck  to 
the  lime  and  so  were  easily  caught. 

In  some  parts  of  the  world  the  soul  is  thought  to  be 
a  small  creature  like  a  bird,  which  may  leave  the  body, 
fly  away  during  sleep,  and  come  back  when  the  owner 
wakens.  So  in  the  islands  of  the  South  Sea  there  are 
sorcerers  who  believe  they  can  catch  the  souL  They 
make  snares  of  strong  cord  with  loops  of  different  sizes 
to  suit  the  different  kinds  of  souls.  There  are  large 
loops  for  fat  souls,  and  small  loops  for  thin  souls. 
These  loops  are  set  up  near  somebody's  house,  and  it  is 
supposed  that  when  the  soul  leaves  the  body  it  may 
be  caught  in  the  snare ;  and  if  it  is  caught,  it  will  be 
unable  to  get  back,  and  its  owner  will  die. 

Now  you  cannot  catch  souls,  like  birds  or  butterflies, 
in  a  net ;  yet  the  soul  has  its  snares  and  dangers,  not 
made  of  loops  of  string,  but  just  as  real.  If  there  is 
anything  which  the  soul  loves  so  much  as  to  prevent 
it  from  loving  God,  that  is  its  snare.  It  is  caught  in  it 
like  a  fluttering  bird  that  cannot  soar  up  to  heaven. 

Many  people  have  found  money  a  snare.  They 
cared  more  for  money  than  for  goodness.  They  gave 
all  their  hearts  to  getting  more  and  more  money.  They 
could  not  bear  to  part  with  it  even  to  do  good,  and  at 
last  their  better  self  died,  like  a  bird  in  a  snare,  and 
they  became  mere  misers. 

Many  others  have   found  amusement  a   snare,  the 


16  THE  FOWLER'S  SNARE 

kind  of  amusement,  that  is,  that  leads  into  bad  company, 
and  neglect  of  work,  and  the  beginning  of  bad  habits. 

Then  there  is  the  snare  of  cowardice,  the  snare  that 
makes  us  afraid  to  do  right,  because  people  may  laugh 
at  us.  And  there  is  the  snare  of  the  lips,  the  snare 
that  catches  us  speaking  words  that  are  spiteful,  or 
untrue,  or  angry,  or  profane. 

With  all  these  snares  around  it,  how  shall  the  soul 
escape  ?  The  Book  of  Psalms  often  speaks  of  the  snares 
that  are  all  around  us,  and  the  enemies  that  lie  in  wait, 
but  this  is  what  the  Psalmist  says  about  it — "  I  will 
say  of  the  Lord,  He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress ;  my 
God,  in  whom  I  trust.  For  he  shall  deliver  thee  from 
the  snare  of  the  fowler."  It  is  God  alone  who  can 
save  our  souls  from  the  net. 


A  SWARM   OF   BEES. 

A  swarm  of  bees. — Judg^.  xIt.  8. 

Has  it  ever  occurred  to  you  to  wonder  what  animals 
think  about  ?  Perhaps  it  never  struck  you  that  they 
thought  at  all — except  possibly  about  their  food  and 
drink.  But  if  you  have  a  pet  at  home  you  will  know 
that  this  is  not  the  case.  What  is  your  dog  dreaming 
of  as  he  lies  blinking  in  front  of  the  fire  ?  Is  he  going 
over  again  that  grand  chase  after  a  rabbit  that  he  had 
in  the  days  of  his  giddy  youth  ?  Is  he  wondering 
where  you  will  take  him  for  to-morrow's  walk  ?  What 
is  he  thinking  of  when  he  puts  his  two  paws  on  your 
knees  and  looks  up  into  your  face  with  his  beautiful 
brown  eyes  and  gives  a  little  whine  ?  He  is  trying  to 
tell  you  something,  only  it  is  your  ears  that  are  deaf 
and  cannot  understand  his  doggy  language.  What  is 
your  kitten  thinking  of  as  she  chases  a  paper  ball? 
She  is  never  still  one  moment  and  always  seems  to  be 
inventing  some  new  way  to  use  her  toy. 

We  human  beings  are  so  very  conceited  and  stupid 
that  we  sometimes  talk  and  act  as  if  we  were  the  only 
creatures  who  had  brains  worth  mentioning;  and  we 
forget  that  the  great  God  who  made  us  has  created 
many  other  creatures  very  wise  and  very  wonderful, 
and  that  He  loveB  and  cares  for  them  alL 

23 


24  A  SWARM  OF  BEES 

To-day  I  want  to  tell  you  about  one  of  the  most 
marvellous  creatures  God  has  made.  It  is  very  tiny — 
less  than  an  inch  in  length — and  yet  it  has  a  very 
wonderful  brain.  You  have  seen  it  hundreds  of  times 
buzzing  about  the  gardens  in  the  sunny  summer  days, 
and  if  it  has  come  too  near,  you  have  perhaps  run 
away.  Of  course  that  is  a  mistake,  because  it  won't 
interfere  with  you  unless  you  interfere  with  it.  Now 
I  wonder  if  you  can  guess  who  this  wonderful  creature 
is?  Yes,  it  is  just  the  little  common  hive-bee;  and 
when  you  grow  older  I  hope  you  will  all  read  a  book 
by  Maurice  Maeterlinck  called  "  The  Life  of  the  Bee  " ; 
for  it  reads  just  like  a  fairy  tale,  and  yet  it  is  all  true. 
I  shall  try  to  tell  you  some  of  the  strange  things  he 
tells  us. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  hive-bees.  First  there  is 
the  queen-bee  who  reigns  over  the  hive  and  lays  the 
eggs  that  will  one  day  turn  into  grubs  and  later  into 
new  bees.  Then  there  are  the  worker-bees  who  do  all 
the  hard  work  of  the  hive.  Lastly  there  are  the  drones 
who  are  lazy  good-for-nothings  and  of  whom  we  shall 
have  more  to  say  later. 

At  present  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  the  worker- 
bees.  They  are  very  clever  little  creatures  and  teach 
human  beings  many  useful  lessons. 

1.  Of  course  the  first  thing  you  think  of  in  con- 
nection with  a  bee  is  its  industry.  Somehow  you  can't 
think  of  bees  without  at  the  same  time  thinking  of 
"  busyness."    We  speak  of  "  busy  bees,"  and  "  hives  of 


JUDGES  XIV.   8  25 

industry,"  aud  so  on.  And  when  you  remember  fchat 
a  single  bee  visits  two  or  three  hundred  flowers  in 
an  hour,  and  that  it  must  visit  several  hundreds 
in  order  to  gather  enough  nectar  to  make  one  drop 
of  honey,  I  think  you  will  agree  that  it  deservBa  its 
title. 

But  did  you  know  that  there  are  a  great  many  trades 
among  the  bees,  and  that  each  one  sticks  to  its  own 
trade  ?  First  there  are  the  mason  bees  who  make  the 
wax  for  the  comb  and  fasten  it  to  the  roof  of  the  hive. 
Then  there  are  the  sculptor  bees  who  follow  the  masons 
and  chisel  and  mould  the  wax  into  the  correct  shape. 
There  are  the  engineer  bees  who  look  after  the  ventila- 
tion of  the  hiva  When  the  summer  days  are  hot,  and 
the  wax  is  likely  to  melt  and  become  soft,  they  take 
up  a  position  near  the  door  of  the  hive  and  flap  their 
wings  to  create  a  draught.  Besides  these  there  are  the 
maids  of  honour  who  follow  the  queen  wherever  she 
goes  and  attend  on  her,  and  the  nurse  bees  whose 
business  it  is  to  look  after  the  young  grubs  and  feed 
them.  Most  important  of  all  are  the  sentinel  bees 
who  guai-d  the  door  of  the  hive  night  and  day,  and 
who  keep  off  all  enemies  and  would-be  intrudere.  So 
you  see  a  hive  is  just  like  a  town,  buzzing  with  industry 
from  morning  till  night. 

2.  Then  another  thing  the  bees  teach  us  is  decmHrtess. 
They  keep  a  spotless  house.  There  is  another  class  of 
bee  I  did  not  mention  when  going  over  bee-trades. 
Some  people  call  them  scavenger  bees,  but  I  think  a 
much  nicer  name  for  them  is  housewife  bees.     When 


26  A  SWARM  OF  BEES 

the  bees,  after  swarming,  are  busy  building  their  new 
city  in  the  new  hive  these  housewife  bees  have  their 
own  task  to  perform.  While  the  masons  are  making 
the  wax  and  the  sculptors  are  moulding  it,  the  house- 
wives are  attending  to  the  floor  of  the  hive.  They 
sweep  the  floor,  and  turn  out  every  little  bit  of  rubbish 
suoh  as  sand  or  dead  leaves.  And  not  only  when  the 
new  home  is  being  built,  but  all  through  the  summer, 
they  keep  it  beautifully  clean.  Sometimes  in  spite  of 
the  care  of  the  sentinels  a  snail  or  a  mouse  gets  into 
the  hive.  Should  this  happen  the  bees  will  sting  it  to 
death.  But  after  they  have  killed  it  what  are  they  to 
do  with  its  body  ?  If  they  cannot  turn  it  out  they  will 
build  a  tomb  of  wax  over  it  and  seal  it  up  carefully  so 
that  the  dead  body  may  not  poison  the  hive. 

3.  Once  more,  the  worker-bees  can  teach  us  a  lesson 
in  unselfishness.  They  work,  not  for  themselves,  but 
for  the  good  of  the  hive.  A  very  small  quantity  of 
honey  serves  for  their  own  food,  the  rest  goes  to  feed 
the  queen,  the  grubs,  and  the  drones,  to  make  wax,  or 
to  be  stored  up  for  the  winter.  In  the  summer,  two- 
thirds  of  the  bees  forsake  the  hive  to  make  room  for 
the  younger  generation.  They  leave  behind  them  a 
beautiful  city  of  wax  filled  with  treasures  of  honey  and 
pollen,  and  they  go  out  to  face  poverty,  for  they  have 
nothing  until  they  build  themselves  a  new  city  and  fill 
it  with  provisions  of  honey  and  pollen.  They  will 
willingly  die  to  save  the  queen's  life.  They  keep  their 
best  food  for  her  and  should  food  be  scarce  they  will 
give  up  their  last  drop  of  honey  to  her.    If  there 


JUDGES  XIV.   8  27 

should  be  an  accident  and  the  hive  should  collapse,  the 
queen  will  almost  always  be  found  alive  underneath 
the  bodies  of  her  dead  daughters. 

But  there  are  bees  who  are  in  every  respect  the 
opposite  of  the  busy  worker-bees.  These  are  the  dronee 
or  male  bees.  The  drone  is  a  very  handsome  fellow. 
He  is  much  bigger  than  the  worker-bee  and  wears  a 
beautiful  velvet  suit.  In  front  of  his  head  he  carries 
two  feelers  or  antennae  that  look  like  small  plumes, 
and  he  has  twenty-six  thousand  eyes. 

Now  this  drone  thinks  himself  a  very  important 
fellow,  and  he  goes  about  the  hive  knocking  down  any 
one  who  gets  in  his  path  and  looking  scornfully  on  the 
busy  little  workers.  But  he  is  really  a  very  con- 
temptible sort  of  fellow.  He  is  lazy,  untidy,  greedy 
and  selfish.  He  does  no  work  himself  and  he  binders 
other  people  in  their  work.  He  eats  far  more  than  a 
worker-bee — in  fact  it  takes  five  or  six  workers  to  keep 
him  supplied.  He  looks  out  for  the  nicest  corners  in 
the  hive  and  eats  the  sweetest  honey.  In  the  hottest 
part  of  the  summer  days  he  saunters  out  for  a  visit 
to  the  flowers,  but  not  that  he  may  gather  honey  or 
pollen  from  them.  Oh,  dear  no,  he  wants  a  sun-bath  ! 
When  the  day  grows  cooler  he  saunters  back  again  to 
gorge  himself  on  honey  and  go  to  sleep. 

But  when  the  autumn  days  come  the  prudent  little 
worker-bees  know  that  they  have  no  food  to  spare  to 
keep  useless  people  alive  during  the  long,  cold  winter. 
So  one  day  the  signal   goes  round,  and  the  workers 


28  A  SWARM  OF  BEES 

either  fall  upon  the  drones  and  sting  them  to  death,  or 
turn  them  out-of-doors  to  die  of  starvation. 

'Now  I  think  there  are  some  boys  and  girls  who  are 
rather  like  the  drones. 

There  are  the  lazy  boys  and  girls  who  seem  to  think 
that  other  people  are  here  to  serve  them,  and  who 
forget  that  we  are  really  in  this  world  to  help  and 
serre  one  another.  They  cannot  put  away  their  own 
slippers,  or  books,  or  toys.  They  cannot  fasten  their 
own  buttons,  untie  their  own  knots,  or  learn  their  own 
lessons.  They  must  always  have  someone  running  to 
tidy  up  after  them  or  help  them  out  of  their  difficulties. 
There  are  the  greedy  boys  and  girls  who  always  look 
out  for  the  sweetest  cake  or  the  biggest  plum.  And 
there  are  the  selfish  boys  and  girls  who  look  out  for 
the  nicest  seat  or  the  cosiest  corner,  no  matter  how 
uncomfortable  other  people  may  feel. 

When  you  are  tempted  to  be  lazy,  or  greedy,  or 
selfish,  remember  that  there  is  no  room  for  drone  boys 
and  girls,  that  they  are  just  a  hindrance  and  a  trouble 
to  others.  And  remember,  too,  that  onQ  of  the  reasons 
why  Jesus  came  into  the  world  was  to  show  people 
liiat  the  noblest  work  on  earth  is  just  serving  one 
another. 


SAMSON. 

Remember  me  .  .  .  and  streng^then  me  .  ,  .  only  titis  ooce. 
— Judg.  xvi.  28. 

There  is  a  game  we  used  to  play  when  I  was  about 
your  age — do  you  play  at  it  still  ?  I  wonder.  We 
used  to  ask  each  other  questions  such  as — "  Who  was 
the  meekest  man  in  the  Bible?" — "Moses."  "Who 
was  the  oldest  man  ? " — "  Methuselah."  And  we  went 
on  to  ask  questions  which  had  a  pun  in  the  answer, 
such  as — "Who  was  the  most  timid  man?"  "Eab- 
shakeh."  Or,  "Who  was  the  smallest  man?" — to 
which  question  some  people  answered,  "Bildad  the 
Shuhite  " ;  whilst  others  preferred,  "  The  man  who  slept 
in  his  watch.**  But  the  easiest  question,  and  the  one 
which  even  the  youngest  of  us  never  made  a  mistake 
with,  was — *'  Who  was  the  strongest  man  ? "  We  all 
knew  the  answer  to  that. 

Yes,  Samson  was  the  strongest  man  in  the  Bible — ia 
some  ways.     He  was  also  the  weakest — in  other  ways. 

Can't  you  imagine  him  as  a  boy  performing  wonder- 
ful feats  of  strength  whilst  all  his  boy  friends  stood 
round  in  an  admiring  circle  ?  You  boys  hero-worship 
a  fine  athlete.  Samson's  boy  friends  must  have  hero- 
worshipped  him. 


30  SAMSON 

Bnt  Samson  kaew  that  he  had  not  been  given  his 
strength  for  mere  show.  He  had  only  to  toss  back  his 
magnificent  locks  and  he  was  reminded  that  Grod  had 
given  him  his  marvellous  power  for  a  purpose.  For 
hia  long  hair  meant  that  he  was  a  Nazirite.  A  Nazirite 
was  one  set  apart  for  God's  service,  and  among  certain 
rules  which  he  had  to  keep  were  two — he  must  never 
drink  wine  and  he  must  never  cut  his  hair.  These 
were  the  outward  signs  of  his  relation  to  God. 
Samson's  mother  must  often  have  told  him  how,  before 
he  was  born,  an  angel  had  foretold  his  birth,  had  com- 
manded that  he  should  be  brought  up  as  a  Nazirite, 
and  had  promised  that  he  should  "  begin  to  save  Israel " 
out  of  the  hand  of  their  enemies  the  Philistines. 

For  you  must  understand  that  at  this  time  the 
Israelites  had  two  great  enemies — the  Ammonites  and 
the  Philistines.  The  Philistines  had  grown  so  power- 
ful that  they  had  practically  conquered  the  part  of 
Canaan  which  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Dan — Samson's 
triba  Worse  still,  they  had  conquered  the  spirit  of 
the  people  as  welL  The  Israelites  had  no  heart  to 
fight  their  oppressors.  They  just  allowed  themselves 
to  be  oppressed. 

But  this  great  jovial  happy  Samson,  whose  name 
just  means  "  Sunny  "  or  "  Sun-man,"  had  no  intention 
of  sitting  down  under  the  oppressors.  He  felt  that 
God  had  given  him  his  giant's  strength  for  fighting. 
So  aloae,  unbacked  even  by  his  own  countrymen,  he 
warred  against  the  Philistines.  He  gave  them  no 
peace.     He  tormented  them   one  way,  he   tormented 


JUDGES  XVI.  28  31 

them  another.  He  played  what  looked  like  huge 
practical  jokes  on  them.  He  caught  three  hundred 
foxes,  tied  torches  to  their  tails,  and  sent  them  among 
the  Philistines'  com.  He  let  the  enemy  take  him  and 
bind  him  with  new  ropes.  Then,  with  one  mighty 
wrench  he  broke  the  bonds,  leapt  free,  and,  seizing  the 
jaw-bone  of  an  ass,  with  that  strange  weapon  slew  a 
thousand  Philistines.  They  thought  they  had  got  him 
safely  shut  up  in  the  town  of  Gaza,  and  they  planned 
to  trap  him  at  the  gates  in  the  morning ;  but  he  rose 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  carried  those  same  gates 
— posts  and  all — up  to  the  top  of  a  neighbouring  hill. 

For  twenty  years  he  ruled  as  judge  in  Israel  and 
fought  God's  battles  with  God's  enemies.  And  he 
might  have  reigned  other  twenty,  but,  alas !  he  began 
to  forget  that  Gi3d  had  set  him  apart  for  a  divine 
purpose.  He  forgot  so  badly  that  he  even  made 
friends  with  some  of  the  Philistines  themselves.  And 
that  was  the  cause  of  his  death.  For  although  he 
feared  no  man,  Samson  feared  one  thing — a  woman's 
tongue — and  a  Philistine  woman  wheedled  out  of  him 
the  secret  of  his  mighty  power.  He  confessed  to  her 
in  a  weak  moment  that  if  his  hair  were  cut  his  strength 
would  disappear. 

You  know  the  rest  of  the  story — how  the  woman 
sold  the  secret  to  her  Philistine  friends;  how,  while 
poor  foolish  Samson  lay  asleep,  they  cut  his  seven 
splendid  locks;  and  how,  when  he  wakened  with  the 
cry  that  the  Philistines  were  "  upon  him,"  he  found  his 
strength  gOBe. 


32  SAMSON 

You  remember  how  they  put  out  his  eyes,  bound 
him  with  fetters  of  brass,  and  set  him  to  a  task  fit  only 
for  the  lowest  slaves  —  grinding  corn  in  his  prison- 
house. 

Poor  blind  Samson  !  Can't  you  see  him  toiling  there 
day  after  day,  chafing  against  the  misery  of  it  all,  yet 
powerless  to  rebel  ?  Don't  you  see  the  Philistines 
going  often  to  gaze  at  him  and  gloat  over  his  help- 
lessness ? 

But  they  did  not  notice  one  important  thing. 
Samson's  hair  was  groioing. 

There  came  a  day  when  these  same  Philistines  made 
a  feast  in  honour  of  their  god,  the  fish-god  Dagon. 
They  held  the  feast  in  Dagon's  temple,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  merry-making  some  of  the  crowd  suggested 
that  Samson  should  be  brought  in  to  amuse  the 
company.  It  would  be  such  rare  sport,  said  they,  to 
bait  the  fettered  giant.  So  they  led  Samson  into  the 
court  of  the  temple  and  they  set  him  between  the  two 
great  main  pillars  of  the  building,  and  they  mocked 
him  and  jeered  at  him  to  their  hearts'  content.  But 
tliey  forgot  that  Samson's  hair  had  grown. 

So  it  fell  that  as  the  poor  tortured  giant  heard  the 
shouts  of  the  people  triumphing  over  him  and  exalting 
their  false  god  over  his  God,  the  one  true  God,  a  rush 
of  feeling  swept  over  him.  All  in  a  moment  he 
remembered  what  he  might  have  done  for  God  had  he 
been  true  to  his  best  self,  and  a  passionate  longing 
seized  him  that  he  might  be  avenged  and  that  he 
might  prove  once,  only  once  more,  that  Jehovah  was 


JUDGES  XVI.   28  33 

the  God  of  gods.  And  with  the  rush  of  feeling  there 
came  also  the  knowledge  that  his  strength  had  come 
back  as  his  locks  had  grown.  So,  speaking  quietly  to 
the  young  man  who  led  him,  he  said,  "  Guide  my  hands 
to  the  pillars  of  the  temple  that  I  may  lean  on  them." 
And  the  lad  did  so.  Then  he  sent  up  the  prayer 
which  is  to-day's  text :  "  0  Lord  God,  remember  me 
.  .  and  strengthen  me  .  .  .  only  this  once."  There- 
upon he  thrust  at  the  pillars  with  all  his  might,  and 
the  temple  of  Dagon,  with  its  crowd  of  worshippers, 
fell  in  one  awful  heap.  God  had  heard  His  servant's 
prayer  in  that  last  hour  of  anguish. 

There  was  once  a  dear  little  Highland  girl,  the 
daughter  of  a  minister  in  one  of  the  Western  Islands. 
She  noticed  that  her  father  always  came  home  tired 
from  the  church  meetings.  "Why  is  father  so  un- 
happy when  he  has  been  at  a  church  meeting  ? "  she 
asked  her  mother  one  night.  Eather  unwisely,  her 
mother  answered,  "  Mr.  Macleod  is  not  always  kind  to 
father ;  he  says  things  that  pain  him."  What  do  you 
think  that  little  girl  did  ?  She  went  and  prayed  with 
all  her  might  that  Mr.  Macleod  would  die.  Day  after 
day  she  sent  up  the  petition,  "  Oh  God  hear  me,  just 
this  once ! " 

God  did  not  answer  her  prayer  by  killing  Mr. 
Macleod,  but  I'm  sure  He  answered  it  in  some  better 
way.  The  story  does  not  tell,  but  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  the  end  of  it  were  that  Mr.  Macleod  became  quite 
kind  and  gentle.     For  though  God  does  not  answer  the 


34  SAMSON  I 

foolish  prayers  we  make  in  ways  as  foolish  as  the 
prayers  themselves,  He  always  answers  somehow. 

There  is  one  prayer  He  answers  very  directly  and 
very  speedily,  and  that  is  a  prayer  like  Samson's  for 
strength  to  overcome  God's  enemies. 

Who  are  God's  enemies  ?  They  are  not  any  one 
nation  or  any  one  people.  They  are  just  the  enemies 
who  make  their  home  in  your  heart  and  mine,  and 
their  names  are  anger,  hatred,  jealousy,  greed,  evil- 
speaking.  Against  these  God  will  ever  lend  us  His 
aid.  He  will  help  us  to  crush  them  more  truly  th^n 
Samson  crushed  the  Philistines  in  that  temple  of 
Dagon  long  ago. 


TAKEN  BY  SURPRISE. 

They  dwelt  careless,  after  the  manner  of  the  Zidonians,  quiet 
and  secure. — Judg.  xviii.  7  (AV). 

Long,  long  ago,  many  hundreds  of  years  before  Christ 
came  to  the  earth,  there  was  a  city  away  up  in  the 
north  of  Canaan  called  Laish.  It  was  beautifully 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  land  with  plenty  of 
wood  and  water.  The  people  who  lived  in  Laish  were 
an  easy-going,  ease-loving  sort  of  people.  They  had 
always  had  plenty  to  eat  without  putting  themselves 
to  much  trouble;  and  as  their  neighbours  did  not 
bother  themselves  to  harass  them,  they  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  build  defences  round  their  town  or  to 
arm  their  men. 

Now  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak  the  Israelites  had 
just  taken  possession  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  they 
had  divided  it  up,  giving  a  certain  part  to  each  tribe. 
There  was  one  tribe — the  tribe  of  Dan — who  were  not 
quite  pleased  with  the  bit  which  had  fallen  to  them. 
It  was  rather  email  for  their  number,  and  it  was  far 
too  near  their  enemies,  the  fierce  Philistines,  so  that 
they  were  constantly  in  danger  of  raids  from  them. 

So  the  Danites  determined  that  they  would  look  out 

for  a  nice  piece  of  land  for  themselves,  and  for  this 

purpose  they  sent  five  spies  all  through  the  land  of 

35 


36  TAKEN   BY  SURPRISE 

Canaan.  When  the  five  men  came  to  Laish,  they 
said,  "  Here  is  the  very  thing  we  want — a  beautiful 
wide,  fertile  country,  and  people  in  it  who  are  careless 
about  their  defences,  and  can  be  easily  conquered." 
They  returned  to  the  people  of  Dan,  and  told  them  all 
they  had  seen,  and  how  easily  the  land  could  be 
subdued.  And  the  Danites  took  six  hundred  armed 
men,  and  went  up,  and  fell  upon  the  city  of  Laish  and 
captured  it,  killing  the  people,  and  burning  the  city. 

Now  I  do  not  want  you  to  think  that  the  Danites 
were  right  in  falling  upon  a  defenceless  city  and 
slaughtering  the  inhabitants.  That  is  an  act  which 
every  right-thinking  person  nowadays  holds  in  con- 
tempt. But  what  I  wish  you  to  notice  is  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Laish  had  no  right  to  leave  their  city 
undefended.  They  were  living  in  wild  times  and 
should  have  done  something  to  protect  their  homes 
and  children.  By  acting  as  they  did  they  were  just 
inviting  attack.  If  the  Danites  had  found  high  walls 
round  the  city  and  armed  men  inside  they  would 
probably  never  have  thought  of  trying  to  capture  it ; 
and  if  they  had  tried,  they  would  moat  likely  have 
been  beaten.  It  was  because  they  were  so  sure  of 
their  own  safety  that  the  people  of  Laish  were  undone. 

We  are  fighting  a  foe  much  more  wily  than  the 
Danites  and  much  more  cruel.  His  name  is  Satan, 
and  he  is  always  storming  the  city  of  our  heart,  for  he 
is  anxious  to  capture  it.  He  is  very  clever,  and  he  is 
very  busy,  and  he  is  always  on  the  look  out  for  the 
people  who  are  "dwelling  careless,"  so  we  must  guard 


JUDGES  XVIII.  7  37 

our  city  well  if  we  do  not  wish  it  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy. 

1.  There  are  two  ways  that  we  must  guard  it.  And 
the  first  way  is  to  have  it  well  fortified.  We  must  not 
neglect  our  defences,  and  we  must  see  that  they  are 
always  in  good  order.  It  won't  do  to  leave  a  weak 
spot  anywhere,  because  the  enemy  is  sure  to  find  it. 
It  was  just  where  the  people  of  Laish  thought  they 
were  strong  that  they  were  really  weak.  They  felt 
quite  secure  and  that  feeling  of  security  brought  about 
their  downfall. 

You  remember  how  the  city  of  Quebec  was  taken. 
A  strong  army  under  the  French  general  Montcalm 
had  held  it  all  summer  in  spite  of  the  many  attempts 
of  the  British  to  capture  it.  At  last  General  Wolfe 
thought  of  a  plan.  On  the  north-western  side  of  the 
city  rose  some  high  land  called  the  Heights  of 
Abraham.  The  only  way  to  these  heights  was  by 
very  steep  cliffs.  The  French  thought  it  would  be 
impossible  for  any  army  to  attack  them  on  that  side, 
so  they  left  the  north-western  side  of  the  city  un- 
defended. One  dark  night,  when  the  people  in  the 
city  were  all  asleep,  General  Wolfe  led  his  men  up  the 
steep  side  of  the  precipice,  and,  when  morning  dawned, 
there  was  the  British  army  looking  down  on  the  city. 
A  short,  fierce  battle  followed,  and  in  a  few  hours 
Quebec  was  in  the  hands  of  the  British. 

Don't  leave  any  little  corner  of  your  heart-city 
undefended,  for  Satan  is  very  clever  and   he  knows 


38  TAKEN  BY  SURPRISE 

exactly  where  he  can  most  easily  get  at  you.  It  is 
often  not  the  places  we  think  weakest  that  he  attacks, 
because  he  knows  we  are  hard  at  work  defending 
these  places.  No,  he  has  a  much  more  wily  way. 
He  makes  us  think  we  are  specially  strong  at  some 
point — we  are  too  honourable  to  tell  a  lie,  too  straight 
to  do  anything  underhand — then  along  he  sneaks  and 
assaults  us  at  the  very  point  on  which  we  were  priding 
ourselves,  and  down  we  go.  So  we  must  look  well  to 
our  defences. 

And  what  are  the  best  defences  ?  Well,  first  of  all 
we  must  build  round  our  city  a  high  wall — the  high 
wall  of  'prayer.  And  then  we  must  arm  it  with  a  good 
conscience  which  tells  us  what  is  right  and  wrong,  and 
a  firm  will  which  helps  us  to  follow  the  right.  Our 
conscience  is  a  splendid  defence  if  we  keep  it  bright 
and  shining.  We  can  do  this  by  listening  to  it,  but 
if  we  do  not  listen,  it  becomes  dull  and  rusty,  and  by 
and  by  ceases  to  be  a  defence.  And  our  will  is  a 
splendid  protection  if  we  use  it  rightly,  but  if  we  do 
not  use  it  in  the  right  way  it  becomes  weak  and  useless. 

2.  I  said  there  were  two  ways  in  which  we  must 
defend  our  heart-city.  The  first  way  is  by  fortifica- 
tions and  the  second  way  is  by  watching.  For,  however 
well  fortified  a  city  is,  if  we  are  not  guarding  it 
continually,  the  enemy  may  still  get  the  better  of  us. 
What  would  you  think  of  the  sentinel  who  said,  "  Oh 
well,  there  are  good  thick  walls  round  this  city  and 
there  are  splendid  guns  to  defend  it,  so  I'll  just  have 


JUDGES  XVIII.   7  39 

a  little  snooze  "  ?  Do  you  know  what  might  happen 
while  he  slept?  The  enemy  might  scale  those  high 
walls  and  turn  the  splendid  guns  on  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city,  and  reduce  the  place  to  ruins. 

So  we  must  ever  be  watching,  watching  night  and 
day.  It  is  weary  work  sometimes,  and  we  grow  tired 
of  the  conflict.  But  there  is  One  who  never  grows 
tired,  One  who  is  always  watching;  and  if  we  have 
taken  Him  into  the  citadel  of  our  heart  He  will  guard 
it  safely  and  give  us  the  victory  over  our  Arch-Enemy. 


GLEANERS. 

Let  me  glean  .  .  .  and  gather  after  the  reapers  among  the 
sheaves. — Ruth  ii  7. 

There  was  a  wonderful  French  painter  called  Millet. 
When  he  was  a  boy  he  was  quite  poor,  his  father  being 
just  what  we  in  this  country  call  a  "  crofter.**  When 
little  Jean  Millet  sat  down  to  dinner,  it  waa  at  a  very 
bare,  homely  table.  But  what  did  that  matter  ?  Jean 
had  eyes  that  saw  everything  and  he  had  a  heart  that 
loved  those  round  about  him.  He  saw  old  women  glean- 
ing in  the  harvest  fields  and  he  noticed  that  they  looked 
tired  and  weary.  And  he  noticed,  too,  that  many  field 
workers  were  very  good  and  very  reverent.  When  the 
Angelus,  or  call  for  evening  prayer,  rang  out  acix>66  the 
fields  Jean  watched  the  men  take  off  their  caps  and 
close  their  eyes  as  if  they  prayed,  while  the  women 
bowed  their  heads  and  looked  solemn.  In  course  of 
time,  Jean  became  an  artist,  and  painted  a  famous 
picture  called  "  The  Angelus."  You  must  have  seen  a 
print  of  it :  there  are  many  of  them  all  over  the  country. 
He  also  painted  another  called  "  The  Gleaners."  Those 
who  visit  country  districts  in  France,  and  see  the  men 
and  women  working  in  the  harvest  fields,  cannot  help 
thinking  of  those  two  pictures  of  Millet's, "  The  Angelus  " 

40 


RUTH  II.   7  41 

and  "The  Gleaners."    Through   them  the  world  has 
learnt  to  know  and  love  the  French  peasantry. 

But,  boys  and  girls,  there  are  pictures  that  are  not 
painted  on  canvgbs.  There  are  pictures  painted  in  words- 
and  in  the  Book  of  Euth  you  will  find  a  beautiful  word, 
jjicture  of  a  gleaner.  It  is  finer  than  Millet's.  Millet's 
work  may  become  old-fashioned ;  people  may  one  day 
speak  of  liim  as  belonging  to  a  past  age.  But  the  Bible 
picture  of  "Euth  the  Gleaner"  will  be  admired  and 
loved  as  long  as  time  lasts. 

Gleaners  had  a  real  place  in  the  Jewish  harvest  field. 
In  our  country,  they  would  be  spoken  to  sharply,  and 
sent  home.  But  there  was  an  old  Hebrew  law  about 
gleaning.  Listen  while  I  read  it.  "  When  ye  reap  the 
harvest  of  your  land,  thou  shalt  not  wholly  reap  the 
corners  of  thy  field,  neither  shalt  thou  gather  the  glean- 
ing of  thy  harvest :  thou  shalt  leave  them  for  the  poor, 
and  for  the  stranger.  .  .  .  When  thou  reapest  thine 
harvest  in  thy  field,  and  hast  forgot  a  sheaf  in  the  fi^ld, 
thou  shalt  not  go  again  to  fetch  it :  it  shall  be  for  the 
stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widow :  that  the 
Lord  thy  God  may  bless  thee  in  all  the  work  of  thine 
hands." 

Euth  took  her  place  among  the  poor  and  the 
strangers,  the  widowed  and  the  orphaned  in  the  fields 
of  yellow  barley. 

She  had  to  find  food  for  herself  and  her  old  mother- 
in-law,  Naomi,  and  as  she  had  not  the  money  to  buy  it 
she  went  bravely  and  humbly  to  gather  the  stray  ears 
which  the  reapers  left.     And  Boaz,  the  master  of  the 


42  GLEANERS 

field,  who  had  heard  of  Kuth's  splendid  devotion  to  her 
mother-in-law,  arranged  that  Euth's  gleanings  should 
be  many.  He  commanded  the  harvesters  to  let  her 
glean  among  the  standing  sheaves.  He  even  told  them 
to  drop  intentionally  some  extra  ears  of  corn  where  she 
might  pick  them  up. 

You  can  picture  the  scene,  can't  you?  There  is  a 
wonderful  poem  written  by  Keats  to  a  nightingale, 
and  in  it  he  gives  us  his  idea  of  that  picture.  He 
thinks  of  Euth  as  listening  to  the  nightingale  whilst  she 
gleans.     Here  is  what  he  says : 

Thou  wast  not  born  for  death,  immortal  Bird! 

No  hungry  generations  tread  thee  down ; 
The  voice  I  hear  this  passing  night  was  heard 

In  ancient  days  by  emperor  and  clown : 
Perhaps  the  self-same  song  that  found  a  path 

Through  the  sad  heart  of  Ruth,  when,  sick  for  home, 
She  stood  in  tears  amid  the  alien  com.* 

You  see  Keats  pictured  Euth  shedding  tears  of  home- 
sickness at  the  song  of  the  sweet- throated  bird.  But  I 
think  that  if  Euth  shed  tears  at  all  that  day  they  were 
tears  of  joy,  tears  of  gratitude  and  thankfulness. 

"Euth,  the  Gleaner,"  is  an  old  time  story.  But 
during  these  September  days,  I  hope  many  of  you  may 
have  an  opportunity  of  being  in  a  harvest  field.  There 
is  no  fun  like  the  fun  of  playing  among  the  "  stocks." 
Long  ago,  how  we  used  to  love  to  hear  the  swish  of  the 
scythe,  and  watch  the  women  gathering  the  corn,  and 

*  Keats,  '*  Ode  to  a  Nightingale." 


RUTH  II.  7  43 

binding  the  sheaves.  You  will  not,  I  fear,  see  a  real 
gleaner  like  Kuth.  The  gleaner  in  the  field  you  visit 
will  probably  be  just  a  boy  with  a  big  rake. 

Take  a  good  look  at  that  boy.  It  may  be  worth  your 
while.  Underneath  his  silence  there  may  be  much  that 
is  worth  copying.  If  a  big  person  asked  a  Scottish 
"rake"  how  he  liked  his  work,  the  answer  would 
probably  be  as  curt  as  "  Fine."  But  the  memory  of  not 
a  few  Scottish  farm  boys  has  come  to  be  sacred.  I 
knew  one  who  became  a  great  scholar.  While  he 
raked  silently — for  he  rarely  spoke — his  mind  was  on 
his  "  version,"  and  when  he  dreamed  dreams — which  he 
sometimes  did — they  were  of  going  one  day  to  the 
University. 

"  That  is  all  very  fine  and  fanciful,"  some  boy  here 
may  be  saying,  "  but  I  live  in  a  city  tenement,  I  never 
see  the  harvest  fields."  Let  me  tell  you  of  a  boy 
gleaner  who  never  saw  them  either,  a  boy  whose  home 
was  in  a  top  flat.  His  name  was  Jim.  He  attended 
Sunday  School,  and  one  day  the  teacher  put  a  question 
the  answer  to  which  involved  the  mention  of  an  obscure 
classical  character.  To  her  surprise  Jim  answered 
correctly.  "How  did  you  come  to  know  that?**  she 
asked.  "  Please,"  he  said,  '*  they  were  taking  in  ooals 
to  the  Academy ;  I  followed  the  carts,  and  gathered  up 
all  the  loose  leaves  in  the  yards  and  read  them  at 
home."     Jim  was  a  gleaner,  and  a  good  one. 

And  there  was  a  little  Italian  fellow,  called  Michael. 
His  father  was  a  stone-cutter.  The  first  sounds 
Michael  knew  were  the  ring  of  a  hammer,  and  the 


44  GLEANERS 

working  of  the  chisel  in  the  quarries.  He  was  not 
a  clever  scholar.  He  just  kept  scribbling  everything 
over  with  drawings.  His  father  was  disappointed  and 
whipped  the  boy  for  spoiling  the  white-washed  walls  of 
the  house.  But  whippings  did  no  good.  Michael  went 
back  to  his  drawings ;  he  thought  it  was  worth  while 
suffering  pain,  so  long  as  he  could  get  on.  He  had 
made  a  great  friend — a  boy  about  his  own  age,  who  was 
learning  to  be  an  artist,  and  whose  father  had  plenty 
of  money.  His  name  was  Francesco.  Every  morning 
Francesco  brought  to  Michael  designs  borrowed  from 
hie  master's  studio,  and  these  Michael  copied.  He 
made  wonderful  progress,  and  in  course  of  time  became 
the  great  Michael  Angelo.  But  I  feel  sure  that  he 
looked  back  to  those  days  when  he  "  gleaned  "  as  being 
very  happy  days  indeed. 

In  Lanarkshire  there  was  born  into  a  humble  home, 
a  boy  who  was  named  David.  His  father's  name  was 
Neil  Livingstone.  When  David  was  quite  little,  he 
used  to  help  his  mother  in  the  house.  He  did  not 
quite  like  this  work,  and  made  it  a  condition  that  the 
house  door  should  be  kept  shut  so  that  the  people 
passing  might  not  see  him  working.  At  ten  years  of 
age  he  was  sent  to  work  in  a  factory.  With  his  first 
half-crown,  he  bought  an  old  Latin  Grammar.  He 
propped  it  up  on  the  back  of  his  spinning  frame,  and  as 
he  went  backwards  and  forwards  he  learnt  little  bits 
by  heart.  That  was  "  gleaning."  I  daresay  you  have 
guessed  who  that  boy  was.  He  became  the  great 
missionary,  David  Livingstone. 


RUTH  II.   7  45 

Boys  and  girls,  this  world  is  a  wonderful  harvest 
field.  The  little  flowers !  Can't  we  glean  their 
sweetness  ?  Can't  we  learn  their  names  ?  There  are 
men  and  women,  as  well  as  boys  and  girls,  who  glean 
constantly,  and  in  ever  so  many  different  fields.  They 
get  to  know  a  great  deal,  yet  they  themselves  feel  that 
they  are  but  beginning  to  learn.  Gleaning  is  work  that 
makes  one  feel  very  happy.  I  can  imagine  how  Ruth 
and  Naomi  would,  at  the  end  of  the  first  day's  work, 
thank  God  for  His  goodness. 

When  you  go  back  to  school  you  go  to  glean  in  a 
harvest  field.  Great  reapers  have  been  in  front  of 
you,  and  have  left  many  sheaves.  You  surely  will  not 
throw  away  your  splendid  opportunities.  And  lying 
before  you  are  the  sheaves  left  by  those  who  most  of  all 
wanted  to  know  about  God  and  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 
Boys  and  girls,  will  you,  along  with  your  school  work, 
try  every  day  to  glean  a  little  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ.  If  you  do,  you  will  grow  to  be  men  and  women 
who  make  the  world  better. 


SOMEBODY'S  NOTICING. 

It  hath  fully  been  shewed  me,  all  that  thou  hast  done* 
—Ruth  ii.  II. 

What  was  it  that  Kuth  had  done  that  had  been  showed 
to  Boaz  ?  You  remember  the  story.  Elimelech,  his  wife 
Naomi,  and  their  two  boys  had  left  Bethlehem  and  gone 
away  into  the  land  of  Moab  because  there  was  a  famine 
in  their  own  land  of  Judah.  Elimelech  died  in  the 
foreign  country,  and  his  two  sons,  Mahlon  and  Chilion, 
married  Orpah  and  Kuth,  women  of  Moab.  After  a 
time  Mahlon  and  Chilion  died  also,  and  Naomi,  left 
without  husband  and  children,  made  up  her  mind  to 
return  to  her  own  land.  Orpah  and  Kuth  wished  to 
accompany  her,  but  Orpah  was  persuaded  to  turn  back. 
Kuth,  however,  refused  to  be  parted  from  the  lonely  old 
woman,  though  following  Naomi  meant  leaving  her 
home  and  country  and  friends,  and  going  among  a 
strange  people  who  would  neither  like  her  nor  under- 
stand her.  It  was  this  story  that  had  come  to  the  ears 
of  Boaz. 

When  the  two  women  arrived  in  Bethlehem  it  was 
the  beginning  of  the  barley  harvest.  They  were  very 
poor  and  had  no  food,  so  Kuth  made  up  her  mind  to  go 
and  work  among  the  gleaners  in  the  harvest ;  for  the 
Jews  had  a  law  that  the  gleanings  of  the  field — the 

46 


RUTH  II.   11  47 

stray  ears  that  had  not  been  gathered  up — should  be 
left  for  the  poor  and  the  stranger. 

I  sometimes  think  Euth  was  almost  braver  when  she 
went  out  to  glean  that  morning  than  when  she  decided 
to  leave  home  and  kinsfolk  for  Naomi's  sake.  To  begin 
with,  she  was  mixing  with  the  very  poorest  of  the  land, 
and  Euth  had  been  brought  up  in  a  home  of  comfort 
and  ease.  Then  she  had  hard  work  to  do  imder  the 
burning  sun ;  and,  worst  of  all,  she  was  a  foreigner  and 
belonged  to  a  race  that  were  hated  and  despised  by  the 
Israelites.  Her  skin  was  dark,  and  her  clothes  were 
strange.  The  girls  who  were  working  in  the  field  would 
laugh  at  her,  the  young  men  would  make  fun  of  her, 
everybody  would  stare  and  pass  remarks. 

Now  Euth  had  chanced  to  choose  the  field  of  Boaz, 
who  was  a  wealthy  and  much-thought-of  man  in 
Bethlehem,  and  a  relation  of  her  late  husband.  When 
Boaz  came  to  the  field  to  see  how  the  reapers  were 
getting  on,  he  at  once  noticed  the  foreign  woman,  and 
asked  who  she  was.  When  he  heard  her  name  he 
remembered  the  story  that  had  been  told  him  of  Euth's 
courage  and  unselfishness  and  devotion,  and  he  gave 
orders  that  she  should  be  respected,  and  treated  with 
special  kindness.  Then  Euth  fell  at  his  feet  and  asked 
him  why  he  had  been  so  kind,  and  he  told  her  the 
reason — "  It  hath  fully  been  shewed  me,  all  that  thou 
hast  done  unto  thy  mother  in  law  since  the  death  of 
thine  husband :  and  how  thou  hast  left  thy  father  and 
thy  mother,  and  the  land  of  thy  nativity,  and  art  come 
unto  a  people  which  thou  knewest  not  heretofore." 


48  SOMEBODY'S  NOTICING 

You  know  the  end  of  the  story — how  Boaz  married 
Ruth  and  how  she  became  the  mother  of  Obed,  who 
was  the  grandfather  of  King  David. 

I  think  there  are  two  things  we  can  learn  from  this 
story  of  Ruth ;  and  the  first  thing  is  that  the  beauty 
that  matters  is  beauty  of  character. 

It  was  Ruth's  beautiful  character  that  attracted  Boaz, 
not  her  beautiful  face.  I  think  if  Boaz  had  not  heard 
what  she  had  done,  he  would  have  taken  no  more  notice 
of  her.  He  would  probably  have  given  an  order  that 
she  should  be  treated  civilly,  for  he  was  a  kind  and 
courteous  man,  but  he  would  not  have  singled  her  out 
for  special  kindness,  and  he  would  have  gone  home  and 
forgotten  all  about  her.  We  cannot  all  have  beautiful 
faces ;  but  we  can  all  have  beautiful  souls.  We  cannot 
all  be  clever,  or  witty,  or  gifted;  but  we  can  all  be 
faithful,  and  loving,  and  unselfish,  as  Ruth  was;  and 
that  is  of  far  more  value. 

Remember  there  is  an  ugliness  which  spoils  beauty. 
It  doesn't  matter  how  pretty  you  are,  if  you  are  not 
beautiful  within  your  character  will  soon  be  written  on 
your  face.  The  haughty  look  and  curling  lip  of  pride, 
the  drooping  mouth  of  discontent,  the  tight  hard  lips 
of  selfishness,  the  scowl  of  anger — one  or  other  will  be 
seen  on  your  face  for  anyone  to  read. 

And  remember,  too,  that  there  is  a  beauty  which 
shines  through  ugliness,  which  shines  through  it  until 
it  shines  all  the  ugliness  away. 

There  was  a  little  French  girl  once  who  was  very 


RUTH  II.   11  49 

plain-looking.  One  day  her  mother  said  tx)  her,  "  My 
dear,  you  are  so  ugly  that  no  one  will  ever  fall  in  love 
with  you.**  Those  words  would  have  made  some  little 
girls  hard  and  bitter,  but  they  had  quite  the  opposite 
effect  on  the  little  French  girl.  From  that  day  she 
began  very  hard  to  think  about  other  people.  She  was 
always  trying  to  make  somebody  happy — the  children 
in  the  village,  the  servants  in  the  house,  even  the  very 
birds  that  hopped  about  the  garden.  By  and  by  she 
grew  up  and  went  out  into  society.  Her  goodwill  and 
her  unselfishness  made  her  the  idol  of  Paris.  Great 
men  and  noble  women  loved  her.  She  became  a  leader 
in  society,  and  people  forgot  her  plain  looks  because 
they  loved  her  so  much. 

And  the  other  thing  I  want  you  to  notice  is  the  valv£ 
of  a  good  name.  We  are  told  that  "  A  good  name  is 
better  than  precious  ointment."  Take  care  of  your 
good  name.  We  never  know  who  is  taking  notes. 
Ruth  did  not  think  she  was  doing  anything  specially 
virtuous  that  day  she  chose  Naomi  and  exile  and  the 
God  of  Israel  rather  than  home  and  comfort  and  the 
gods  of  Moab.  But  people  had  noticed  her  self- 
sacrifice,  and  they  talked  about  it.  They  had  talked 
about  it  even  when  she  thought  they  were  despising 
her,  and  it  had  come  to  the  ears  of  Boaz. 

Now,  while  it  is  very  foolish  always  to  be  wondering 
what  people  are  thinking  of  us,  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  the  people  who  are  worth  minding  value  worth. 
The  young  men  and  maidens  in  the  harvest  field  might 
laugh  at  Euth,  but  Boaz,  the  brave  and  courteous,  saw 


50  SOMEBODY^  NOTICING 

in  her  all  that  was  noble  and  best  in  woman.  And 
even  when  those  around  ns  do  not  value  or  understand 
us,  God  sees  and  knows,  and  if  we  are  faithful  in  the 
work  that  He  gives  us  to  do,  that  is  all  that  ^really 

matters. 


A  LITTLE  COAT. 

His  mother  made  him  a  little  coat,  and  brought  it  to  him  from 
jear  to  year.— i  Sam.  ii.  19  (AV). 

Is  there  a  boy  or  girl  here  who  does  not  like  to  get 
new  clothes  ?  Every  girl  is  proud  of  her  new  dress,  of 
her  latest  hat,  even  of  her  new  boots.  And  I  have 
known  a  little  boy  who,  when  he  got  a  new  jacket, 
asked  his  mother  to  allow  it  to  lie  on  his  pillow  at 
night. 

Your  sermon  this  morning  is  about  a  boy's  coat. 
And  the  owner  of  it  was  a  little  fellow  named  Samuel. 
He  was  the  son  of  two  plain  people  called  Hannah  and 
and  Elkanah,  who  lived  at  a  place  called  Kamah. 
Hannah  had  prayed  to  God  to  send  her  a  son,  and  had 
promised  that  if  God  granted  her  request  she  would 
give  the  boy  to  the  Lord's  service.  And  she  really 
meant  it.  When  a  wee  mite,  Samuel  was  taken  to 
Shiloh,  and  made  a  sort  of  errand  boy  in  the  House  of 
the  Lord. 

What  a  quaint  little  figure  he  must  have  been  !  He 
wore  a  linen  robe  called  an  ephod.  It  was  the  same  as 
a  priest's  dress,  only,  over  the  ephod,  the  priests  had  a 
rich  flowing  cloak,  which  was  sometimes  very  beautiful. 
It  was  this  upper  coat  that  Hannah  took  to  Samuel 
every  year,  and  although  he  lived  constantly  beside  an 

El 


52  A  LITIXE  COAT 

old  priest  named  Eli,  and  was  being  taught  to  think  of 
nothing  but  religion  and  God's  word,  Samuel  could  not 
change  his  nature.  He  was  just  a  boy  like  any  of  you. 
Wouldn't  he  be  proud  of  each  new  coat  as  it  arrived  ? 
And  the  thought  that  he  was  to  see  his  mother  would 
keep  him  from  sleeping  for  nights  before  she  came. 

It  is  a  beautiful  touch  in  the  story  of  Samuel's  life 
this  of  his  mother  making  the  little  ooat  that  was  like 
the  big  priest's  one.  It  makes  us  think  of  the  home 
at  Eaniah,  and  of  the  loving  hearts  there.  Hannah 
could  not  buy  the  linen  of  which  the  ooat  was  made. 
Each  Israelite  had  to  grow,  on  his  own  farm  what  he 
needed  for  himself  and  his  family,  of  food,  and  clothing, 
and  fuel.  Doubtless  Elkanah  sowed  and  reaped  the 
flax  which  she  span,  and  wove,  and  bleached  into  the 
linen  web,  out  of  which  she  shaped  the  Mttle  garment 
she  took  to  Shiloh.  And  all  the  time  she  span  and 
wove  and  cut  and  sewed  her  dreams  would  be  of 
Samuel's  future.  Many  a  wish  would  she  frame,  and 
many  a  prayer  would  she  utter,  that  her  boy  would 
grow  up  to  serve  God  and  his  generation. 

When  Samuel  grew  to  be  a  great  man,  do  you  think 
Hannah  would  be  proud  ?  I  believe,  ratbw,  she  would 
be  Hke  the  mother  of  David  Livingstone,  when  at  last 
the  world  acknowledged  him  a  great  man.  A  neigh- 
bour visiting  her  during  her  last  illness  said,  "You'll 
be  richt  proud  o'  yer  son  noo,  Agnes  ?  **  to  which  she 
gave  the  unexpected  reply,  "I'm  nae  prouder  o'  him 
the  day  than  when  he  put  the  first  half-crown  he  ever 
earned  into  my  lap."    Hannah,  we  feel  swe,  never  felt 


1  SAMUEL  II.   19  5a 

prouder  of  Samuel  than  she  did  when  he  was  the  little 
errand  boy  in  the  House  of  the  Lord. 

I  wonder  if  Samuel  had  a  little  return  gift  ready  for 
his  mother  when  she  came  up  each  year.  He  would 
have  no  Saturday  pennies  to  spend,  but  he  would  have 
treasures  like  every  other  boy  that  ever  lived,  I 
wonder  if  he  offered  her  one  of  his  treasures  to  show 
her  how  much  he  loved  her  for  her  loving  thought 
of  him.  Perhaps  he  just  took  his  mother's  love  for 
granted  as  did  the  little  boy  I  read  of  the  other  day. 

He  was  a  little  street  urchin,  and  he  asked  a  lady  to 
give  him  a  job.  "  I've  got  three  pennies,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  want  to  earn  a  bit  more." 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  and  what  are  you  going  to  do  with 
your  money  ?  " 

"Well,"  he  replied  (it  was  Christmas  time),  "I'm 
going  to  get  some  baccy  for  Dad,  an'  a  tin  'orse  for  our 
li'l  Bill,  an'  a  sweet-stuff  for  Gladys." 

"  Ah ! "  said  the  lady,  "  I  see — some  tobacco  for  your 
father,  a  tin  horse  for  little  Bill,  and  some  sweets  for 
Gladys.     And  what  for  your  mother  ? " 

"  Oh !  Muvver  ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  she  don't  want 
anythink.  Leastways" — and  he  paused — "she  never 
asks  for  nufi&n." 

Boys  and  girls,  do  you  take  your  mother's  love  as 
a  matter  of  course  ?  Then  remember  this  —  there's 
nothing  in  the  world  quite  like  it.  It  gives,  gives, 
gives,  and  asks  for  nothing.  Yes,  it  asks  for  nothing, 
but  it  craves  something  all  the  same.  It  craves  love  in 
return.    No  gift  you  can  bring  your  mother  will  be 


54  A  LITTLE  COAT 

dearer  to  her  than  your  love.  And  if  that  love  is  the 
right  kind  of  love  it  cannot  help  showing  itself  in 
thoughtful  deeds  and  loving  words.  Your  mother  will 
notice  these,  she  will  treasure  them  more  than  the 
costliest  gifts — though  I  hope  you  won't  forget  the 
gifts  too. 

There  is  only  one  love  more  wonderful  and  more 
unselfish  than  a  mother's  love.  It,  too,  loves  and  gives, 
loves  and  forgives,  again  and  again.  It,  too,  y<-arns 
for  love  in  return.  What  are  you  going  to  give  God, 
boys  and  girls,  for  all  He  showers  on  you  ?  There  is 
one  priceless  gift  you  can  give  Him — a  gift  that  no 
money  can  buy.  Will  you  take  all  and  give  nothing  ? 
Or  will  you  give  Him  the  gift  He  longs  for — your  heait  ? 


THE  CHILD-PROPHET. 

And  the  child  Samuel  g^rew  on,  and  was  in  favour  both  with 
the  Lord,  and  also  with  men. — i  Sam.  ii.  26. 

If  you  look  carefully  at  the  text  you  will  see  that  it 
tells  us  three  things  about  Samuel.  First  it  tells  us 
that  he  grew,  next  that  he  was  in  favour  with  God,  and 
lastly  that  he  was  in  favour  with  men. 

1.  "Samuel  grew."  He  was  just  like  other  boys  and 
girls.  He  grew  in  height.  Year  by  year  as  Hannah 
brought  him  his  new  coat  he  would  compare  it  with 
the  old  one  to  see  how  many  inches  he  had  grown. 
Some  years  the  old  one  would  seem  shorter  than  usual 
because  he  had  been  growing  faster.  I  wonder  if  he 
was  ever  measured  against  a  wall  or  a  door  as  we 
sometimes  are,  and  if  Eli  kept  a  record  of  his  height. 

And  then  he  grew  in  strength.  Each  year  he  was 
able  to  run  faster  and  farther,  and  to  do  his  work 
quicker  and  better.  Sometimes,  I  daresay,  he  looked 
at  his  arms  to  see  how  powerful  the  muscles  were 
getting.  He  could  lift  heavier  weights  and  throw 
farther  and  straighter  than  he  used  to  do. 

He  grew  in  wisdom.  That  doesn't  mean  that  he 
just  grew  in  knowledge.  You  may  fill  your  heads  with 
all  kinds  of  knowledge  and  yet  be  much  less  wise  than 
you  were  to  begin  with.     Samuel  learned  a  lot  of  things 


56  THE  CHILD-PROPHET 

from  Eli,  but  he  knew  how  to  use  what  he  had  learned, 
and  he  thought  out  things  for  himself  and  gained  in 
common  sense. 

But  Samuel  grew  not  only  in  body  and  mind,  he 
grew  also  in  lieart  and  soul.  There  is  no  use  growing 
at  all  if  you  don't  grow  the  right  way.  Some  people 
grow  big  bodies  and  large  minds  and  little,  deformed, 
ugly  souls.  They  grow  backwards  instead  of  forwards, 
so  that  their  friends  say  of  them :  "  I  wish  they  were 
small  again.  They  were  much  nicer  and  much  better 
then." 

Samuel  might  easily  have  grown  backwards  instead 
of  forwards.  Perhaps  we  think  that,  living  in  the 
tabernacle  with  old  Eli,  he  had  no  temptations  and 
that  it  was  easy  for  him  to  be  good.  But  Eli  was  not 
the  only  man  in  the  tabernacle.  There  were  his  two 
wicked  sons  Hophni  and  Phiuehas.  Samuel  must  have 
known  something  of  their  evil  ways.  Perhaps  they 
laughed  at  him  sometimes,  and  very  likely  they  tried 
to  tempt  him  to  follow  in  their  footsteps.  But  Samuel 
kept  steadily  on  his  own  brave  way.  Day  by  day  he 
grew  into  the  great,  wise,  noble  soul  who  was  to  rule 
and  guide  Israel,  and  then  one  night  God  spoke  to  him 
and  all  Israel  knew  that  Samuel  was  a  prophet. 

2.  Samuel  was  "  in  favour  with  God."  God  loves  us 
all,  even  when  we  hurt  and  spurn  Him,  but  I  think  He 
loves  in  a  special  kind  of  way  those  who  love  and  try 
to  follow  Him.  It  is  just  as  if  they  were  His  very, 
very  own,  given  back  to  Him  to  keep  for  ever.  Samuel 
had  been  promised  to  God  before  he  was  born,  he  had 


1  SAMUEL  II.   26  57 

been  brought  up  very  near  to  God  in  the  tabernacle, 
and  he  had  grown  to  love  and  own  Him  as  his  God. 

3.  Lastly,  Samuel  was  "  in  favour  with  men."  That 
means  that  he  was  well  liked  by  his  friends  and 
companions.  He  must  have  been  a  good  sort,  who 
would  do  another  a  kind  turn  if  he  could.  And  he 
must  have  been  jolly  too  and  full  of  fun. 

Remember  three  things.  In  order  to  be  good  you 
don't  need  to  be  ugly  or  ill-grown.  In  order  to  be  good 
you  don^t  need  to  be  disagreeable.  In  order  to  be  good 
you  don't  need  to  be  unpopular.  True,  there  are  times 
when  you  must  risk  your  popularity  to  stick  up  for  the 
right.  But  the  people  who  really  matter  will  only 
admire  you  the  more  for  it.  The  right  people  will 
always  respect  real  worth.  To  be  in  favour  with  God 
you  don't  need  to  be  out  of  favour  with  men. 

Many  hundreds  of  years  later  there  was  another  boy 
who  lived  in  the  same  land,  of  whom  almost  the  same 
words  were  spoken.  We  are  told  that  He  "  advanced 
in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favour  with  God  and 
men."  Samuel,  like  all  boys,  must  have  had  his  faults, 
but  this  other  boy  is  our  Perfect  Pattern,  for  He  did 
no  sin ;  and  if  we  strive  to  grow  like  Jesus  then  we 
shall  come  to  a  noble  stature  and  to  the  likenesa  of 
a  perfect  man. 


THE  RIGHT  KIND   OF  EARS. 

Speak ;  for  thy  servant  beareth.— i  Sam.  iii.  lo. 

The  other  day  I  read  a  story  which  came  all  the  way 
from  Japan.  A  missionary  was  walking  along  the 
streets  of  a  Japanese  town,  and  at  one  corner  he  came 
upon  a  man  who  had  a  group  of  children  gathered 
round  him.  He  was  telling  them  a  story.  This  was 
the  story  he  told. 

"  Once  upon  a  time  a  little  boy  went  to  heaven  and 
when  he  got  there  he  saw  some  very  queer  things  lying 
on  a  shelf.  'What  are  these  for?'  he  asked.  'Are 
they  to  make  soup  of  ? '  'Oh  no/  was  the  reply,  *  these 
are  the  ears  of  the  little  boys  and  girls  who  never  paid 
any  attention  to  what  they  heard.  The  good  things 
never  got  past  their  ears,  and  so  when  they  died  their 
ears  got  to  heaven  but  the  rest  of  their  bodies  did  not.» 
A  little  farther  on  he  saw  another  shelf  with  more 
queer  things  laid  on  it.  Again  he  asked,  *  Are  these 
for  soup?'  *0h  no,'  was  the  reply,  'these  are  the 
tongues  of  the  little  boys  and  girls  who  were  always 
telling  other  people  how  to  be  good  but  were  never 
good  themselves,  and  so  when  they  died  their  tongues 
came  to  heaven  but  the  rest  of  their  bodies  did  not.' " 

Now  of  course  this  is  just  a  fairy  story,  but  like 
many  a  fairy  story  it  has  a  meaning.     God  has  given 

(8 


1  SAMUEL  III.  10  59 

us  hands  and  feet  and  ears  and  eyes  and  tongues  and 
hearts  and  minds ;  and  He  means  us  to  use  them  in 
the  right  way.  Some  people  don't  use  them  at  all,  and 
some  people  use  them  in  a  wrong  way.  And  so  for 
a  few  Sundays  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  the  right 
way  of  using  those  gifts  which  God  has  given  to  us. 

To-day  I  am  going  to  speak  about  the  right  kind  of 
ears.  Ears  are  very  important  things,  are  they  not? 
We  could  not  get  along  very  well  without  them.  You 
will  find  your  text  in  the  First  Book  of  Samuel,  the 
third  chapter  and  the  tenth  verse — "Speak;  for  thy 
servant  heareth." 

You  all  know  the  story  of  Samuel.  You  remember 
how  his  mother  prayed  that  if  Grod  would  send  her  a 
son  she  would  lend  him  to  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  his 
life.  You  recall  how  she  brought  him  to  Eli  the  priest 
when  he  was  a  little  boy  of  about  three  years,  so  that 
he  might  serve  God  in  the  tabernacle.  You  remember 
how  Samuel  was  busy  in  the  tabernacle  doing  the  little 
odd  jobs  —  running  messages  for  Eli,  drawing  the 
curtains  which  formed  the  doors,  trimming  and  lighting 
the  lamps — until  one  night  when  he  was  asleep  in  one 
of  the  rooms  beside  the  tabernacle  court  something 
great  happened — God  spoke  to  him. 

Samuel  had  the  right  kind  of  ears.  But  what  are 
the  right  kind  of  ears?  I  suppose  we  have  all  got 
ears,  and  yet  they  are  not  always  the  right  kind  of  ears, 
because  we  don't  use  them  in  the  right  way.  It  was 
a  frequent  saying  of  Christ's — "  He  that  hath  ears  to 
hear,  let  him  hear."    A  great  many  of  the  people  to 


60  THE  RIGHT  KIND  OF  EARS 

whom  He  spoke  did  not  understand  Him.  It  is  said 
of  His  own  parents  who  had  brought  Him  up — "  They 
understood  not  the  saying  which  he  spake  unto  them," 
and  sometimes  even  His  disciples,  who  were  so  much  in 
His  company,  did  not  understand  His  word.  They 
were  not  listening  in  the  right  way. 

Well,  there  are  four  things  that  the  right  kind  of 
ears  must  be. 

1.  They  must  be  open  ears.  Your  ears  would  be  no 
use  to  you  at  all  if  they  were  deaf,  and  they  would 
be  of  very  little  use  if  you  stuffed  them  with  cotton- 
wool. 

What  is  it  that  deafens  people's  ears  to  God's  voice  ? 
Very  often  it  is  the  din  of  the  world.  It  is  so  loud  in 
their  ears  that  they  don't  hear  the  still,  small  voice. 
And  sometimes  it  is  cares  and  worries  that  shut  their 
ears,  and  sometimes  it  is  indulgence  in  sin.  I  think 
the  ears  of  children  are  often  more  open  to  God's  call 
than  the  ears  of  grown-up  people,  because  they  are  not 
deafened  by  the  noise  of  the  world — by  its  pleasures, 
and  cares,  and  sins. 

2.  The  right  kind  of  ears  must  be  understanding  ears. 
Your  hearing  may  be  perfect,  and  yet  you  may  not 
know  what  a  person  is  saying,  because  he  is  talking  in 
a  foreign  language. 

We  must  have  ears  that  understand  God's  language. 
And  yet  it  is  no  foreign  tongue  in  which  God  speaks 
to  us,  but  the  language  of  our  everyday  life.  Only 
we  mistake  His  voice  for  the  voice  of  other  people. 


1  SAMUEL  III.  10  61 

Even  Samuel  made  this  mistake  at  first.  God  called 
to  him  and  he  thought  the  voice  was  Eli's.  And  God 
speaks  to  us  often  in  the  voice  of  our  minister,  or  our 
teacher,  or  our  mother.  We  think  it  is  they  who  are 
speaking  and  it  is  really  God. 

Why,  if  we  only  understood,  we  could  hear  God 
speaking  to  us  constantly,  for  He  speaks  in  so  many 
different  ways.  When  you  see  any  beautiful  sight,  or 
hear  any  beautiful  sound  that  makes  you  wish  to  be 
good,  that  is  God  speaking.  God  made  all  things 
beautiful  and  He  speaks  to  us  through  them.  When 
you  hear  or  read  about  brave  and  noble  men  and 
women  and  feel  you  would  like  to  resemble  them,  that 
is  God  speaking  again. 

3.  The  right  kind  of  ears  must  be  attentive  ears. 
Your  hearing  may  be  perfect  and  people  may  be 
talking  in  your  own  language,  and  yet  you  may  not 
hear  because  you  are  not  listening.  Mother  asks  you 
three  or  four  times  to  run  on  an  errand  for  her,  but  you 
are  so  engrossed  in  your  book  or  your  game  that  you 
don't  hear  her.  And  sometimes  we  don't  hear  God's 
voice,  because  we  don't  stop  to  listen  for  it. 

4.  The  right  kind  of  ears  must  be  obedient  ears. 
You  may  have  perfect  hearing,  you  may  understand, 
you  may  be  quite  aware  of  what  is  going  on  around 
you,  and  yet  you  may  not  hear  because  you  do  not 
wish  to  listen.  Samuel  learned  obedience  by  doing 
the  unimportant,  uninteresting,  drudging  work  in  the 
tabernacle,  and  when  God's  call  came  he  was  ready  for  it. 

Let  no  boy  or  girl  be  ashamed  to  obey.     It  is  only 


62  THE   RIGHT  KIND  OF  EARS 

those  who  have  learned  to  obey  who  know  how  to 
command.  Baden-Powell  tells  a  story  of  a  man  in  the 
Boer  war  who  spoilt  a  very  promising  ambuscade  by 
disobeying  an  order.  The  men  had  been  forbidden  to 
fire,  but  one  man  fired  a  shot  and  made  the  enemy 
aware  of  the  force  which  was  lying  in  wait  for  them. 
**It  would  have  been  different,"  said  Baden-Powell,  "if 
he  had  learned  to  obey  when  he  was  a  boy." 

So  the  right  kind  of  ears  are  those  that  hear  God's 
call  and  obey  it.  And  I  want  you  to  notice  in  the  last 
place  that  God  calls  boys  and  girls.  He  called  Samuel 
in  the  tabernacle,  He  called  David,  the  shepherd  lad. 
He  made  use  of  a  little  maid  in  His  healing  of  Naaman, 
the  Syrian.  Jesus  called  the  little  children  to  Him 
when  He  was  here  below,  and  the  disciple  who  lay 
upon  His  bosom  was  the  youngest  of  the  twelve.  God 
calls  boys  and  girls.  Let  us  ask  Him  to  give  us  the 
right  kind  of  ears  so  that  we  may  all  hear  and  obey 
His  call.i 

^  The  texts  of  the  other  sermons  in  the  series  are  Exod,  xxiii.  9, 
Ps.  xxiv.  4  (2),  Ps.  xxxiv.  13,  Prov.  vi.  13,  Mai.  i.  13,  Luke  vi.  41, 
1  Pet.  iii.  4,  1  Pet.  v.  6. 


INQUIRE  WITHIN. 

Man  looketh  on  the  outward  appearance,  bat  the  Lord  looketh 
on  the  heart. — x  Sam.  xvi.  7. 

Supposing  somebody  came  to  this  town  to-day  and 
announced  that  they  had  been  sent  to  elect,  from 
among  Uie  boys  and  girls,  a  king  or  queen  to  reign 
over  a  new  country,  what  excitement  there  would  be ! 

If  the  choice  were  to  be  left  to  the  boys  and  girls 
themselves,  I  wonder  who  would  be  picked  out. 
Would  it  be  the  boy  who  was  biggest  and  strongest, 
or  best  at  games,  or  head  of  his  class  ?  Would  it  be  the 
girl  who  was  prettiest,  or  cleverest,  or  most  popular  ? 

But  supposing  the  stranger  announced  that  there 
was  to  be  an  examination  of  hearts,  and  that  the 
boy  or  girl  with  the  best  heart  was  to  be  selected,  I 
wonder  again  who  would  be  chosen.  Some  of  those 
whom  we  should  have  put  near  the  top  of  the  list 
would  be  away  down  at  the  bottom,  and  some  decent 
sort  of  boy  of  whom  nobody  took  much  notice,  or 
some  plain-looking,  awkward,  shy,  little  girl,  would  be 
at  the  very  top. 

Now  something  like  this  once  happened  in  Bethlehem 
about  a  thousand  years  before  Jesus  was  born  there. 
Only   people  did   not  know   it  was  a  kiug  who   was 

63 


64  INQUIRE  WITHIN       • 

being  elected ;  they  probably  thought  that  Samuel  was 
choosing  a  pupil  for  his  School  of  Prophets. 

It  happened  like  this.  Saul  by  his  pride  and  dis- 
obedience had  forfeited  his  right  to  be  king  over  Israel, 
and  God  sent  Samuel  to  Jesse,  the  Bethlehemite,  to 
choose  a  new  king  from  amongst  his  sons. 

So  Jesse  made  his  sons  pass  in  order  before  the 
prophet.  First  came  Eliab,  the  eldest.  He  was  a  fine, 
big,  strong  man,  and  when  Samuel  saw  him  he  thought, 
"This  is  just  the  very  man  to  be  a  king,  and  to  lead 
the  armies  of  Israel  to  victory."  But  God  said  to 
Samuel,  "  Look  not  on  his  countenance,  or  on  the  height 
of  his  stature;  because  I  have  rejected  him:  for  the 
Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth ;  for  man  looketh  on  the 
outward  appearance,  but  the  Lord  looketh  on  the 
heart."  Then  came  Abinadab  the  second  son,  and 
Shammah  the  third.  The  fourth,  and  the  fifth,  and 
the  sixth,  and  the  seventh  also  passed  by ;  but  always 
the  answer  was  the  same — "Neither  hath  the  Lord 
chosen  this." 

At  last  David  was  sent  for  to  the  hills  where  he 
was  tending  the  sheep.  His  father  had  not  thought 
it  worth  while  to  summon  him :  he  was  just  a  boy,  and 
did  not  count.  But  when  he  appeared,  God  said  to 
Samuel,  "  Arise,  anoint  him :  for  this  is  he." 

You  know  what  a  splendid  king  David  afterwards 
made — a  king  brave  and  faithful,  the  best  that  Israel 
ever  had.  You  also  know  how,  later,  Eliab  showed 
that  he  had  a  petty,  jealous  nature  quite  unworthy  of 
a  true  king.     And  you  remember  that  it  was  David, 


1  SAMUEL  XVI.   7  65 

the  shepherd  lad,  not  the  strong  warrior,  Eliab,  who 
fought  Goliath. 

I  suppose  if  we  had  been  in  Samuel's  place  that  day 
we  should  have  made  the  same  mistake  as  he — we 
should  have  thought  Eliab  the  best  man  to  fill  the 
position  of  king.  It  is  so  easy  to  judge  by  appear- 
ances, and  80  difficult  not  to  do  so. 

Perhaps  you  have  a  friend  who  is  clever,  or  witty, 
or  jolly,  and  you  think  he  is  just  first-rate ;  but  if  you 
could  see  his  heart  as  God  sees  it,  you  might  find  it 
very  black.  And  perhaps  you  have  another  friend 
who  is  rather  unattractive.  He  dosen't  shine,  and  he 
isn't  very  good  company.  For  all  that,  he  may  be  the 
very  best  kind  of  friend,  sincere  and  true — the  kind 
that  will  stick  to  you  through  thick  and  thin. 

Kemember  it  is  not  always  the  birds  with  the  finest 
feathers  that  have  the  sweetest  song.  The  peacock 
and  the  parrot  have  gorgeous  plumage ;  but  when  they 
really  show  what  they  can  do  in  the  way  of  uplifting 
their  voices,  the  first  thing  you  want  to  do  is  to  put 
your  fingers  in  your  ears.  The  blackbird,  and  the 
thrush,  and  the  nightingale,  and  the  lark  have  very 
plain  dull  coats ;  but  when  they  begin  to  sing  the  air  is 
filled  with  their  melody  and  the  world  seems  a  sweeter 
fairer  place.  And  it  isn't  always  the  people  who  look 
grandest  or  greatest  who  are  the  truest  and  best. 

A  surly  old  baron  was  once  travelling  in  Sweden. 
Now  in  some  parts  of  that  country  where  it  is 
very  rough   and   hilly  people   still   travel   by  stage- 


66  INQUIRE  WITHIN 

coach,  just  as  they  used  to  do  in  this  country  before 
there  were  railways  and  trains.  And  here  and  there 
along  the  road  are  inns  where  their  tired  horses  can  be 
changed  for  fresh  ones  so  that  they  can  get  along  faster. 

One  day  this  surly  old  nobleman  arrived  at  such  an 
inn  and  immediately  demanded  fresh  horses  in  a  gruff 
and  rude  way.  The  landlord  said  he  was  very  sorry 
he  had  none  to  give  him,  and  that  he  would  just  have 
to  wait  till  his  own  horses  were  rested. 

As  he  was  speaking,  a  pair  of  beautiful  horses  were 
brought  out  and  hitched  to  a  carriage  where  sat  a  little 
quiet-looking  gentleman.  The  baron  was  very  angry. 
He  asked  the  landlord  what  he  meant  by  telling  him  he 
had  no  horses  when  he  had  this  pair,  but  the  inn- 
keeper replied  that  the  horses  had  already  been  ordered 
by  the  gentleman  in  the  carriage. 

Thereupon  the  baron  approached  the  insignificant 
little  gentleman.  "  Look  here,  my  man,"  he  said,  "  give 
me  those  horses  and  I'll  pay  you  well  for  them."  The 
other  replied  quietly,  but  firmly,  that  he  required  the 
horses  and  that  he  was  just  about  to  start.  At  this 
the  nobleman  began  to  fume.  "  Why,"  he  muttered  to 
himself,  "  this  fellow  surely  cannot  know  what  an 
important  person  I  am  ! "  And  aloud  he  said,  "  Perhaps 
you  don't  know  who  I  am  ?  I  am  Field-Marshal 
Baron  George  Sparre,  the  last  and  only  one  of  my 
race."  The  other  smiled,  quite  unperturbed.  "I  am 
glad  of  that,"  said  he,  "  it  would  be  terrible  to  think 
there  might  be  more  of  you."  And  in  another  moment 
he  was  gone. 


1  SAMUEL  XVI.  7  67 

When  he  had  disappeared  the  landlord  turned  to  the 
churlish  nobleman.  "That,"  said  he,  "was  the  King 
of  Sweden ! "  You  can  imagine  how  the  baron  felt, 
but  it  was  too  late  to  undo  the  mistake  he  had  made — 
the  mistake  of  judging  by  appearances. 

There  is  just  one  thing  more  I  want  you  to 
remember.  Very  often  we  are  judged  by  our  outside. 
Other  people  estimate  us  by  our  appearance,  or  our 
manner,  or  the  things  we  say  and  do,  but  God  judges 
us  by  our  heart.  He  looks  right  into  it  and  He  sees 
things  that  our  nearest  friends  don't  see.  He  knows 
how  hard  we  tried  to  be  good  that  time  we  failed. 
He  knows  what  it  cost  us  to  keep  our  temper  when  it 
was  sorely  tried.  He  knows  what  it  meant  to  be  true 
and  straight  and  unselfish  when  we  were  tempted  to  be 
the  opposite.  And  He  knows,  too,  the  splendid  men 
and  women  we  are  able  to  become  if  we  will  let  Him 
take  possession  of  those  hearts  He  can  see  so  well,  if 
we  will  let  Him  rule  there. 


ONLY   A   SHEPHERD   BOY. 

Behold,  he  keepeth  the  sheep.— i  Sam.  xvi.  ii. 

That  was  all  they  could  say  about  David.  He  was 
just  the  shepherd  boy,  and  not  worth  the  trouble  of 
calling,  and  yet  it  was  the  shepherd  boy  that  God 
chose  to  be  king  over  Israel. 

You  remember  how  Samuel  was  sent  to  Bethlehem 
to  anoint  a  king  from  among  Jesse's  sons.  And  you 
remember  how  Jesse  brought  forward  his  seven  elder 
sons  one  by  one.  Fine,  big,  stalwart  men  they  were, 
but  as  each  one  passed  along  God  whispered  to  Samuel 
that  this  was  not  the  man  of  His  choice.  Then  Samuel 
asked  Jesse  if  all  his  sons  were  present,  and  the  old 
man  replied  that  he  had  still  one  son,  but  he  had  really 
not  thought  of  summoning  him.  He  was  only  the 
herd  boy,  a  mere  lad  of  fifteen,  and  God  could  not 
possibly  want  him.  Yet  it  was  just  the  shepherd  lad 
that  God  did  want;  and  when  David  came  He  told 
Samuel  to  arise  and  anoint  him. 

Now  I  like  that  story :  and  I  like  this  verse  because 
it  tells  me  that  the  very  thing  Jesse  and  his  sons 
thought  least  of,  God  thought  most  of.  David  was 
just  the  keeper  of  the  sheep.  His  was  an  occupation 
that  was  rather  looked  down  upon  and  was  usually 

68 


1  SAMUEL  XVI,   11  69 

given  to  the  younger  members  of  the  family,  yet  it 
was  just  because  he  was  a  keeper  of  the  sheep  that 
God  chose  him.  There  is  a  verse  in  the  Psalms  which 
tells  us  that  God  chose  David  and  took  him  from  the 
sheepfolds  to  feed  His  people  Israel.  Just  because  he 
knew  how  to  lead  and  care  for  the  sheep,  he  knew  how 
to  lead  and  care  for  a  nation.  Jesse  and  Samuel  might 
have  thought  that  one  of  the  soldier  brothers  would 
make  a  fitter  king,  but  God  knew  better. 

1.  Now  will  you  notice,  first,  that  the  humblest  worh 
is  worth  doing  well. — David's  friends  might  look  down 
on  his  occupation,  but  he  loved  his  sheep  and  he  did 
his  beet  for  them.  He  was  a  good  shepherd  and  he 
put  his  heart  and  soul  into  his  work.  I  don't  know 
whether  Samuel  told  him  just  then  that  he  was  to  be 
king,  but  David  knew  he  had  been  set  aside  for  some 
great  purpose;  yet  after  he  had  been  anointed,  he 
went  quietly  back  to  his  sheep  and  waited  till  God 
called  him  to  some  other  work. 

Now  we  are  sometimes  tempted  to  look  down  on 
our  work  because  it  is  commonplace  and  dull.  When 
you  feel  like  that  will  you  try  to  remember  that  the 
work  you  are  doing  is  just  God's  bit  of  work  for  you, 
and  that  you  can  make  it  something  fine  by  doing 
it  well. 

I  read  a  story  once  about  a  prisoner  who  was 
imprisoned  for  life.  And  in  the  prison  he  was  given 
some  work  to  do.  His  work  was  to  weave  a  piece  of 
cloth  out  of  a  coarse  dull  thread.     There  was  no  change 


70  ONLY  A  SHEPHERD  BOY 

in  the  work  and  no  variety.  Day  after  day  he  had  to 
weave  the  same  kind  of  cloth  out  of  the  same  kind  of 
thread.  But  one  day  the  jailer  came  to  him  and  told 
him  that  because  he  had  done  his  work  so  well  he 
would  be  allowed  in  future  to  weave  a  rose-coloured 
thread  into  the  cloth.  That  made  all  the  difference  in 
the  world.  After  that  the  prisoner  felt  he  had  some- 
thing to  live  for.  He  looked  forward  to  weaving  in. 
the  rose-coloured  thread.  And  when  the  pieces  of 
cloth  were  finished  he  often  took  them  up  again  to 
look  at  the  bright  thread  shining  out  of  the  dull 
material. 

I  think  David  had  found  the  rose-coloured  thread. 
Do  you  know  what  it  was?  Out  there  among  the 
everlasting  hills  with  the  twinkling  stars  shining  down 
on  him  he  had  learned  to  know  and  to  love  Grod,  and 
that  made  all  the  difference  to  his  work.  It  was  Grod's 
bit  of  work  for  him  just  then,  and  he  meant  to  make  it 
something  grand  and  glorious. 

2.  Again,  will  you  try  to  remember  that  humble  work 
well  done  prepares  us  for  higher  service. — The  work  you 
are  doing  now  is  making  you  ready  for  something 
bigger  ahead,  only  you  must  do  the  little  things  well 
or  you  won't  be  fit  for  the  big  things  when  they 
come. 

Sometimes  you  hear  people  complaining  that  they 
have  no  luck  and  that  they  never  had  a  chanca  Did 
you  ever  hear  the  story  of  how  Luck  went  visiting  and 
how  he  was  received  ?    Here  it  ia— 


1  SAMUEL  XVL   11  71 

Luck  tapped  upon  a  cottage  door, 

A  gentle,  quiet  tap  ; 
And  Laziness,  wlio  lounged  within. 

The  cat  upon  his  lap. 
Stretched  out  his  slippers  to  the  fire 

And  gave  a  sleepy  yawn : 
*•  Oh,  bother  !    let  him  knock  again  1 " 

He  said ;    but  Luck  was  gone. 

Lack  tapped  again,  more  faintly  still. 

Upon  another  door, 
Where  Industry  was  hard  at  work 

Mending  his  cottage  floor. 
The  door  was  opened  wide  at  once  ; 

*'  Come  in  ! "  the  worker  cried, 
And  Luck  was  taken  by  the  hand 

And  fairly  pulled  inside. 

He  still  is  there — a  wondrous  guest, 

From  out  whose  magic  hand 
Fortune  flows  fast,  but  Laziness 

Can  never  understand 
How  Industry  found  such  a  friend ; 

"Luck  never  came  mxj  way!" 
He  sighs,  and  quite  forgets  the  knock 

Upon  his  door  that  day.^ 

So  you  see  we  must  just  grind  away  at  the 
monotonous,  commonplace  things  if  we  ever  want  to  do 
anything  bigger.  If  David  hadn't  been  a  good  shepherd 
he  would  never  have  made  a  good  king.  If  he  hadn't 
been  a  good  shepherd  he  would  never  have  been  a  king 
at  all,  for  God  would  not  have  chosen  him. 

*  Priecilla  Leonard,  in  A  Garland  of  Verse^  82, 


FIVE   SMOOTH   STONES. 

He  chose  him  five  smooth  stones  out  of  the  brook. — 
I  Sam.  xvii.  40* 

I  don't  need  to  tell  any  of  you  the  story  of  how  David 
fought  and  conquered  the  giant  Goliath.  I  expect  you 
could  tell  it  to  me  a  great  deal  better  than  I  could 
tell  it  to  you.  It  is  one  of  the  most  splendid  stories  in 
the  Bible — that  tale  of  how  the  young  shepherd  lad 
from  the  hills,  strong  in  his  confidence  in  God,  over- 
came the  big  bully  before  whom  all  the  mighty 
warriors  of  Israel  trembled. 

I  want  to  speak  to-day  about  David's  weapons — the 
five  smooth  stones  he  chose  from  the  brook.  You 
remember  how  Saul  clothed  the  boy  in  his  own  armour, 
and  how  awkward  David  felt  in  it.  He  was  un- 
accustomed to  it,  and  when  he  found  it  hampered  him 
he  wisely  put  it  off  and  armed  himself  with  the 
weapons  he  could  use. 

The  Philistines  had  camped  on  the  side  of  a  mountain 
and  the  Israelites  on  a  mountain  opposite.  Between 
the  two  armies  lay  a  valley,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the 
valley  a  deep  gorge  containing  the  bed  of  a  stream. 
In  crossing  the  gorge  to  fight  Goliath,  David  picked  up 
f -'e  smooth  stones  and  put  them  in  his  shepherd's  bag 
ready  for  his  sling. 

72 


1  SAMUEL  XVII.  40  73 

Now  we  have  all  giants  to  conquer,  and  some  of 
them  are  very  big,  and  very  terrifying,  and  we  are 
sometimes  dreadfully  afraid  they  will  get  the  better  of 
us.  "  Oh,"  you  say,  "  that  is  all  nonsense.  There  are 
no  fierce  giants  stalking  about  the  land  now,  seeking 
whom  they  may  slay."  Yes,  there  are  still  giants; 
they  are  every  bit  as  terrible  as  Goliath ;  and  there  is 
still  a  call  for  Davids  to  slay  them.  Would  you  like 
to  know  their  names  ?  Here  are  a  few :  Selfishness, 
Envy,  Pride,  Temper,  Laziness,  Untruthfulness.  Would 
you  like  to  know  where  they  dwell  ?  In  the  hearts  of 
boys  and  girls,  and  men  and  women. 

And  how  are  we  going  to  conquer  those  giants? 
With  five  smooth  stones.  The  first  smooth  stone  is 
Humility.  And  how  is  humility  going  to  help  us  to 
conquer  our  giants  ?  Because  it  teaches  us  to  know 
our  own  weakness,  and  leads  us  to  rely  on  God's 
strength.  There  is  a  verse  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs 
which  says  that  "  Pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and 
an  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall."  It  is  the  boy  who 
boasts  whom  we  expect  to  fail. 

There  is  a  Russian  story  of  an  owl  who  tried  to  show 
the  way  to  a  blind  ass.  Now  the  owl,  you  know,  can 
see  very  well  in  the  dark,  because  its  eyes  are  made  for 
that  purpose,  but  when  morning  dawns  it  gets  dazzled 
with  the  strong  light,  and  hides  itself  in  caves,  or 
barns,  or  hollow  trees. 

Well,  this  particular  owl  got  on  all  right  as  long  as  it 
was  dark.  It  perched  on  the  ass's  back  and  directed  it 
safely.     But  when  the  sun  rose  it  could  no  longer  see 


74  FIVE  SMOOTH  STONES 

properly  and,  instead  of  confessing  its  helplessness,  it 
pretended  still  to  know  the  way.  It  told  the  ass  to 
turn  to  the  left  when  it  should  have  turned  to  the 
right,  and  they  fell  together  over  a  steep  precipice. 

We  cannot  conquer  our  giants  by  our  own  power 
alone.  If  we  try  to  do  so,  we  shall  sooner  or  later 
come  to  grief  like  the  self-sufficient  owl.  David  knew 
his  weakness  as  well  as  his  strength.  He  said  to 
Goliath,  "  Thou  comest  to  me  with  a  sword,  and  with 
a  spear,  and  with  a  javelin :  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

So  the  first  smooth  stone  is  Humility — the  recogni- 
tion of  our  own  limitations,  and  the  fii-st  stone  leads  to 
the  second — the  smooth  stone  of  Faith — reliance  on 
God's  help.  It  was  David's  faith  that  made  him  strong 
to  conquer.  He  had  entire  confidence  in  God.  He 
trusted  Him  as  a  little  child  trusts  his  father.  He 
knew  that  God  had  delivered  him  from  the  lion  and 
the  bear,  and  he  was  certain  that  He  would  give  him 
the  victory  when  he  was  fighting  the  enemy  of  God's 
people.  We  are  fighting  God's  enemies  when  we  are 
fighting  our  sins,  and  if  we  trust  in  Hitn,  we  are  sure 
to  conquer. 

And  the  second  smooth  stone — the  stone  of  Faith 
— leads  to  the  third  —  the  smooth  stone  of  Courage. 
Faith  is  the  root  of  courage.  It  was  David's  faith  that 
gave  him  courage  to  fight  Goliath  when  the  strong 
warriors  fled  before  him.  It  was  faith  ihat  steadied 
his  arm  when  he  took  aim.  The  heroes  of  the  world 
have  been  men  of  faith.     And  if  we  are  to  conquer  our 


1  SAMUEL  XVII.  40  75 

enemies  we  shall  require  courage,  the  courage  that 
comes  from  faith.  Sometimes  our  giants  will  seem  so 
appalling  that  we  shall  be  tempted  to  think  we  cannot 
slay  them.  But  we  must  never  lose  heart.  Let  us 
remember  how  easily  Goliath  was  overcome  when  faced 
by  a  man  of  courage. 

But  there  is  another  smooth  stone  we  must  use  if  we 
want  to  conquer — the  smooth  stone  of  Prayer.  It  is 
Prayer  that  keeps  the  stones  of  Faith  and  Courage 
smooth  and  polished.  We  are  not  told  that  David 
offered  up  a  prayer  before  he  went  to  meet  Goliath, 
but  I  am  quite  sure  he  spoke  to  God  in  the  silence  of 
his  heart.  Out  on  the  lonely  hillside,  when  he  was 
watching  the  sheep,  David  had  often  communed  with 
God,  and  he  would  not  have  had  such  splendid  faith 
and  courage  unless  he  had  lived  very  near  to  God  in 
prayer.  For  prayer  is  one  of  God's  ways  of  bringing 
us  near  to  Him ;  and  Satan  cannot  get  hold  of  us  when 
we  are  close  to  God. 

So  when  we  feel  as  if  our  giants  were  to  get  the 
better  of  us  the  very  best  thing  to  do  is  just  to  send  up 
a  little  cry  to  God  to  help  us.  He  will  surely  come  to 
our  aid. 

And  the  last  smooth  stone  is  Endeavour.  We  must 
do  our  part.  We  must  not  sit  still  and  expect  God  to 
do  everything  for  us  while  we  do  nothing.  That  would 
be  malting  our  prayers  a  mockery. 

Do  you  remember  Wellington's  advice  to  his  soldiers  ? 
"  Say  your  prayers,  and  keep  your  powder  dry."  They 
were  right  to  pray,  but  their  prayers  would  not  be  of 


76  FIVE  SMOOTH  STONES 

much  use  if  they  neglected  the  means  of  victory,  if 
they  allowed  their  powder  to  get  so  wet  that  it  would 
be  useless.  And  a  young  Commodore  in  the  French 
navy  once  gave  similar  advice  to  the  sailors  under  him. 
A  terrible  storm  was  raging;  the  ship  was  in  great 
peril;  the  sailors  had  lost  heart,  and  were  relaxing 
their  efibrts  at  the  pump.  But  the  Commodore  cheered 
them,  and  encouraged  them  to  go  on.  "All  your 
prayers  are  good,"  he  said,  "  but  Saint  Pump !  He'll 
save  you ! " 

David  did  not  conquer  the  giant  without  fighting 
him,  and  his  skill  with  the  sling  helped  him.  And  we 
cannot  expect  to  conquer  our  giants  unless  we  fight 
them,  unless  we  use  along  with  the  four  smooth  stones 
of  Humility,  and  Faith,  and  Courage,  and  Prayer,  the 
fifth  stone  of  Endeavour. 


THE  FRIEND   OF  DAVID, 

The  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  with  the  soul  of  David,  and 
Jonathan  loved  him  as  his  own  soul. — i  Sam.  xviii.  i. 

I  WANT  to  speak  to-day  about  something  which  all  Iwys 
and  girls  possess.  Some  have  a  great  many,  others  only 
a  few,  others  again  just  one,  but  that  one  is  a  very  sp^'cial 
one.  Some  are  changing  them  every  day,  each  morning 
they  have  a  new  one.  Others  have  kept  theirs  for 
months  or  years,  and  they  intend,  if  possible,  to  keep 
them  all  their  life. 

Would  you  like  to  know  what  this  wonderful  and 
mysterious  thing  is  ?     Well,  it  is  just  a  friend. 

All  of  you  have  friends ;  some  more,  some  fewer,  and 
very  oftkU  you  hear  people  telling  you  how  necessary 
it  is  to  choose  the  right  kind  of  friend.  Yes,  that  is 
very  important;  but  there  is  something  just  as 
important,  if  not  more  so,  and  that  is  how  to  he  the 
right  kind  of  friend. 

Now  in  this  book  there  is  the  story  of  a  friendship 
which  is  perhaps  the  finest  in  the  world.  And  I  should 
like  you  to  read  that  story  and  think  a  great  deal  about 
it,  partly  because  it  is  very  beautiful,  but  chiefly  because 
it  shows  us  better  than  any  other  tale  does  the  kind  of 
friend  we  should  choose  and  be.  It  is  the  story  of 
David  and  Jonathan. 

77 


78  THE  FRIEND  OF  DAVID 

Jonathan  met  David  on  the  day  that  the  young 
shepherd  slew  Goliath.  Saul  had  expressed  a  desire  to 
talk  with  the  conqueror  of  the  giant  and  David  was 
brought  into  his  presence.  And  when  the  shepherd 
lad  had  made  an  end  of  speaking, "  the  soul  of  Jonathan 
was  knit  with  the  soul  of  David,  and  Jonathan  loved 
him  as  his  own  soul."  They  were  bound  in  one  for 
ever  and  ever. 

Did  you  ever  think  how  strange  it  was  that  Jonathan 
should  fall  in  love  with  David  just  then  ?  It  is  true 
that  there  was  much  to  admire  in  the  young  conqueror. 
He  had  done  a  glorious  deed  and  delivered  his  country- 
men out  of  the  hands  of  the  Philistines.  He  was  brave 
and  daring.  He  w^as  good  to  look  upon,  and  winsome 
and  modest  in  his  manner. 

Yes,  but  David  had  just  carried  off  the  laurels  that 
might  have  been  Jonathan's.  For  Jonathan  was  no 
coward.  A  few  years  before  he,  with  the  heh  >f  only 
his  armour-bearer,  had  climbed  the  face  of  a  precipitous 
rock,  fallen  upon  the  garrison  of  the  Philistines,  and 
slain  twenty  men.  We  cannot  tell  why  Jonathan  did 
not  fight  Goliath.  Perhaps  Saul  prevented  his  going. 
Samuel  the  prophet  had  told  Saul  that  his  son  would 
never  reign,  and  Saul  may  have  feared  that  the  prophecy 
would  be  fultilled  by  Goliath's  killing  Jonathan. 

Whatever  the  reason,  Jonathan  did  not  grudge 
David  the  triumph.  He  rejoiced  with  him.  It  made 
hie  heart  glad  to  see  that  the  boy  was  so  brave  and 
chivalrous.  His  love  was  too  big  and  generous  to  find 
any  room  for  jealousy. 


1  SAMUEL  XVIII.   1  79 

And  it  was  the  same  all  thronsrb.  For  it  was  not 
long  before  Jonathan  came  to  know  that  David  was  the 
man  whom  Grod  had  chosen  to  succeed  Saul  on  the 
throne,  that  Darid  was  the  man  who  was  to  fill  the 
place  that  was  his  (Jonathan's)  by  right.  The  know- 
ledge filled  Saul  with  mad  envy,  but  Jonathan  never 
showed  anything  except  pride  and  gladness  in  regard 
to  it.  David's  gain  was  always  Jonathan's  loss,  and 
yet  Jonathan  was  ever  able  to  rejoice  in  that  gain. 
Again  and  again  Jonathan  might  have  got  rid  of 
David  simply  by  delivering  him  into  Saul's  hands,  but 
he  never  betrayed  his  friend.  Instead  of  that  he 
comforted  and  reassured  David,  he  pleaded  with  his 
father  for  him,  be  risked  his  own  life  to  save  him. 

Now  the  queetion  is.  Can  our  friendship  go  the  length 
that  Jonathan's  did  ?  Can  we  be  glad  when  our  best 
frienc^^  school  carries  off  the  prize  we  have  worked  so 
hard  ^^in  ?  Can  we  be  glad  when  he  succeeds  at  the 
price  of  our  feilure  or  loss  ?  Well,  it  is  very,  very 
difficult,  but  there  is  just  one  way  we  can  do  it — by 
putting  oureelv^  absolutely  in  the  background- 
There  is  a  fine  story  told  of  the  great  English 
painter  Turner.  At  one  time  Turner  was  on  a  committee 
for  arranging  about  the  hanging  of  pictures  which  were 
to  be  exhibited  in  London.  ^  the  last  moment,  when 
all  the  walls  were  full,  a  picture  by  an  unknown  artist 
came  in.  Turner  said,  "  This  is  a  good  picture.  It 
must  be  hung.**  But  the  other  members  of  committee 
replied,  *'  That  is  impossible.     There  is  no  room  for  it.'* 


80  THE  FRIEND  OF  DAVID 

Very  quietly  Turner  said,  "  I  will  arrange  it."  And  he 
took  down  one  of  his  own  pictures  and  hung  the  new 
one  in  its  place. 

Don't  you  think  that  was  a  fine  thing  to  do  ?  And, 
boys  and  girls,  it  is  the  people  who  are  truly  great  who 
can  do  things  like  that.  Ask  God  to  give  you  a  big, 
generous,  self-forgetting  heart.  Then,  and  then  only, 
will  you  be  able  to  be  a  friend  like  Jonathan. 

There  are  just  two  other  things  I  should  like  you  to 
notice  about  Jonathan's  friendship  for  David.  They 
are  the  marks  of  the  truest  and  best  friendship  wherever 
you  find  it. 

And,  first,  Jonathan  was  an  absolutely  loyal  friend, 
absolutely  loyal  and  courageous.  When  he  found  out 
that  Saul  wanted  to  take  David's  life  he  went  and 
*'  spake  good  of  David  unto  Saul  his  father."  And  that 
was  a  difficult  thing  to  do.  It  was  difficult  because  he 
risked  his  own  life  in  doing  it,  and  it  was  difficult 
because  it  is  always  hard  to  stand  alone  and  plead  for 
some  one  who  is  unpopular  or  out  of  favour. 

Jonathan  was  loyal,  too,  because  he  stuck  to  David 
through  thick  and  thin,  through  evil  fortune  and  good 
He  was  as  much  David's  friend  when  the  latter  was  a 
hunted  outlaw  as  when  he  was  in  the  king's  court.  He 
was  more  his  friend,  for  it  was  when  David  was  in 
trouble  that  Jonathan  helped  him  most. 

And  so  if  you  would  be  like  Jonathan,  be  loyal  and 
faithful  to  your  friends.  Defend  them  when  others 
are  running  them  down.  Be  even  more  their  friend  in 
the  dark  days,  for  they  need  you  more  then. 


1  SAMUEL  XVIII.   1  81 

And  the  other  thing  I  want  you  to  notice  about 
Jonathan's  friendship  is  that  it  was  always  helpful  and 
uplifting.  David  was  never  the  worse  of  Jonathan's 
company,  but  always  the  better.  Jonathan  cheered 
him  when  he  was  in  despair ;  he  lifted  him  up  and  put 
courage  and  faith  into  him. 

Charles  Kingsley  was  once  asked  what  was  the 
secret  of  his  beautiful  life,  and  he  replied,  "I  had  a 
friend." 

Wouldn't  you  like  to  be  a  friend  like  that,  a  friend 
that  makes  the  lives  of  others  gladder  and  better  and 
more  beautiful  ?  Wouldn't  you  like  to  be  a  friend  like 
Jonathan  ? 

There  is  just  one  Friend  in  all  the  world  who  is  a 
better  Friend  than  Jonathan,  and  that  is  Jesus,  the 
Friend  of  little  children.  He  loves  you,  not  because  you 
are  good,  or  kind,  or  brave,  or  loving,  but  just  because 
you  are  you.  He  loves  you  when  you  are  naughty, 
He  loves  you  when  you  are  sad,  He  loves  you  when  you 
are  glad.  He  loves  you  and  He  died  for  your  sake.  He 
loves  you  and  He  wants  you  for  His  very  own.  Will 
you  choose  Him  as  your  Friend  ?  Will  you  give  Him 
your  love  in  exchange  for  His  ? 


WALLS. 

They  were  a  wall  unto  us  both  by  nsght  and  by  day. — 
I  Sam.  2£xv.  i6. 

"  A  WALL  unto  us."  Don't  you  think  that  was  rather 
a  nice  thing  to  be  called  ?  The  shepherds  of  a  very 
wealthy  man  c-jlW  Nabal  had  been  feeding  their 
flocks  i.i  a  wild,  desolate  region  where  they  were 
exposed  to  danger  from  savage  beasts  and  wild  tribes, 
and  when  they  returned  home  one  of  them  told  how 
King  David's  men  had  been  "a  wall*  unto  them  by 
day  and  by  night.  He  meant  of  course  that  the  king's 
men  had  protected  them  continually  and  enabled  them 
to  feed  their  flocks  in  safety. 

Now  it  is  a  splendid  thing  to  be  a  wall — to  help  to 
keep  away  harm  and  hurt  from  those  who  are  weaker 
than  ourselves.  That  is  what  our  brave  sailors  and 
soldiers  do.  They  are  a  wall  between  us  and  our 
enemiea.  But  you  can  all  be  wails  too.  I  wonder 
how? 

1.  Well,  first,  you  can  be  a  wall  «U  home.  Perhaps 
you  think  that  is  what  father  and  mother  should  be — 
that  father  is  there  to  fight  your  battles  with  the 
world,  and  mother  to  protect  and  care  for  you.  And 
that  is  true.     But  you  can  be  a  wall  loo.    For  what  is 

82 


1  SAMUEL  XXV,   16  83 

it  that  spoils  a  home  ?  It  is  the  little  petty  squabbles, 
the  little  worries  and  frets ;  and  those  are  the  things 
you  can  help  to  keep  out. 

It  takes  two  to  make  a  quarrel,  you  know,  and  if 
you  refuse  to  quarrel  then  there  will  be  one  less  in  the 
house  to  squabble  with.  And  if  you  keep  a  bright 
face  when  things  go  a  bit  wrong,  it  will  help  you  to 
bear  your  own  troubles  and  it  will  help  others  to  bear 
theirs.     So  don't  forget  to  be  a  wall  at  homa 

2.  And  then  you  can  be  a  wall  at  school  and  among 
your  friends.  Is  there  some  boy  or  girl  in  your  class 
who  for  no  very  good  reason  is  unpopular  ?  Perhaps 
they  are  not  so  well-dressed  as  the  rest,  perhaps  they 
are  stupid,  or  timid,  or  awkward,  or  shy,  and  the  others 
are  inclined  to  make  fun  of  them  and  to  despise  them. 
There  are  boys  and  girls  like  that  in  every  school  and 
you  can  be  a  wall  to  them.  You  can  befriend  them 
and  bring  out  the  best  that  is  in  them. 

Is  there  any  boy  or  girl  you  know  who  is  easily  led 
away  ?  You  can  be  a  wall  to  them.  You  can  help  to 
keep  them  straight-  Many  a  boy  and  girl  has  gone 
astray  just  for  the  lack  of  a  good  friend  to  steady 
them. 

3.  And  then  you  can  be  a  wall  to  the  weak  and  the 
poor  and  the  oppreRsed  and  the  lonely  in  the  vxrrld  at 
large.  That  is  what  Jesus  was.  He  helped  the  weak 
to  be  strong,  He  freed  the  oppressed,  He  was  a  friend 
to  the  lonely.  And  Jesus  still  calls  those  who  would 
follow  Him  to  be  walls  to  such  as  these.  If  you  are 
strong,  and  young,  and  bright  He  asks  you  to  use  your 


84  WALLS 

strength,  and  your  youth,  and  your  brightness  to  help 
those  who  are  weak,  and  old,  and  sad. 

Perhaps  you  think  you  can't  do  much  because  you 
are  so  little.  But  boys  and  girls  can  do  a  great  deal — 
much  more  than  they  often  think.  The  question  is — 
"  Do  you  want  to  be  a  helper  or  a  hinderer  ? "  Because, 
you  know,  there  are  really  just  two  kinds  of  people  in 
the  world — the  helpers  and  the  hinderers — the  people 
who  build  up  walls,  and  the  people  who  pull  them 
down  and  leave  them  lying  about  for  others  to  fall 
over. 

There  have  been  men  and  women  who  have  been 
magnificent,  strong  walls  to  the  weak  and  the  oppressed 
— men  such  as  William  Wilberforce,  who  fought  for 
the  freedom  of  the  slaves;  women  such  as  Elizabeth 
Fry,  who  took  up  the  cause  of  the  prisoners,  and 
Florence  Nightingale,  who  cared  for  the  soldiers.  They 
were  like  the  splendid  walls  of  a  fortress.  We  may 
be  just  very  plain,  ordinary  people ;  but  if  we  cannot 
hope  to  be  fortress  walls  perhaps  we  can  be  rough 
stone  dykes,  and  that  is  better  than  being  stumbling- 
stones. 


GOD'S  JEWEL-CASE. 

Bound  in  the  bundle  of  life  (RVm  ••the  living")  with  the 
Lord  thy  God. — i  Sam.  xxv.  29. 

Where  do  you  keep  you  treasures  ?  Have  you  a 
special  "  hidey  hole  "  that  nobody  knows  of  but  your- 
self ?  Have  you  a  box  with  a  real  lock  and  key  ? 
Have  you  perhaps  a  cash-box,  a  miniature  copy  of  the 
one  in  father's  office  ?  Or  have  you  a  little  jewel-case 
with  divisions  and  a  velvet  lining,  exactly  like  the  one 
in  which  mother  keeps  her  brooches  and  rings  ? 

I  know  you  have  something.  For  everybody  hais  his 
or  her  special  treasure  holder.  It  may  be  anything 
from  the  foot  of  an  old  stocking  to  a  magnificent  fire- 
proof steel  safe  with  the  latest  chubb  lock.  But  what- 
ever it  may  be,  you  trust  it  to  keep  your  treasures 
safe. 

Have  you  ever  seen  the  kind  of  bag  in  which  an 
Oriental  ties  up  his  precious  belongings  ?  It  is  a  very 
primitive  safe  indeed,  for  it  is  just  a  piece  of  woven 
silk,  sometimes  only  a  scrap  of  common  yellow  cotton. 
It  is  gathered  up  in  the  form  of  a  bag  and  then  it  is 
carefully  whipped  round  the  neck  with  a  length  of 
string.  If  the  owner  wishes  to  make  it  more  secure 
he  puts  a  seal  on  the  string.  That  is  the  Oriental 
purse  or  jewel-case.     It  is  not  unlike  the  bag  you  make 

85 


86  GOD'S  JEWEL-CASE 

with  your  handkerchief  when  you  gather  wild  fruit  by 
the  wayside  and  have  no  basket  in  which  to  carry 
it  home. 

That  Eastern  bag  or  bundle  is  our  text  this  morning. 
For  when  Abigail  wished  that  the  soul  of  David  might 
be  "  bound  in  the  bundle  of  the  living  "  with  the  Lord 
his  Grod,  she  just  meant  that  she  wished  his  life  might 
be  in  God's  safe-keeping,  like  a  precious  jewel  safely 
stored. 

Some  wise  people  tell  us  that  there  was  an  ancient 
belief  that  the  soul  could  be  separated  from  the  body 
and  locked  up  safely  at  home  while  its  owner  was 
abroad.  Perhaps  the  Hebrews  held  this  belief  and 
gave  their  soul  into  the  safe  keeping  of  God.  That 
would  explain  Abigail's  remark  when  she  wished  that 
David's  soul  might  be  kept  in  God's  jewel-case. 

Now  we  don't  believe  that  we  can  lock  up  our  soul 
at  home  when  we  go  out.  We  know  that  wherever  we 
go  our  soul  goes  with  us.  And  yet  we  can  give  our 
soul  to  God  to  keep.  That  sounds  impossible.  How 
can  we  both  carry  our  soul  with  us,  and  give  it  to  God 
to  keep  ?  Shall  I  tell  you  how  we  can  do  it  ?  You 
know  that  God  is  everywhere.  Wherever  we  go,  God 
is  there.  Well,  if  God  is  everywhere  we  go,  and  if  we 
carry  our  soul  everywhere  we  go,  it  stands  to  reason 
that  wherever  our  soul  may  be  God  is.  And  so,  if 
God  is  where  our  soul  is,  He  can  watch  over  it,  He  can 
take  care  of  it  for  us. 

An  English  poet,  who  wrote  many  fine  verses,  which 


1  SAMUEL  XXV.  29  87 

I  hope  yon  may  read  one  day,  wrote  at  the  end  of  a 
well-known  poem  which  is  often  sung  as  a  song : 

I  am  the  master  of  my  fate, 
I  am  the  captain  of  my  soal. 

He  meant  that  he  had  thorough  command  and  control 

of  his  own  soul,  and  so  he  feared  nothing  that  could 

happen  to  him.      It  was   a  fine  idea,  but  the  poem 

would  have  been  still  finer  and  nobler  had  Henley  been 

able  to  write : 

God  is  the  Master  of  my  fate, 
God  is  the  Captain  of  my  soul. 

Wise  man  as  he  was,  he  was  not  so  wise  as  the  little 
child  whom  a  gentleman  overtook  one  dark  night  as  he 
hurried  home  through  the  streets  of  a  great  city.  The 
little  thing  slipped  her  hand  confidingly  into  his,  and 
when  he  glanced  down  at  her  he  was  surprised  to 
discover  that  she  was  a  mite  of  five  whom  he  knew. 

"Why,  child!"  he  exclaimed,  " what  are  you  doing 
here  all  by  yourself  ?     Is  your  father  not  with  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  she  said. 

"  But  aren't  you  afraid,  dear  ?  " 

"  Afraid  ! "  she  replied.  "  Oh,  no !  You  see,  God  is 
everywhere,  and  He  takes  care  of  me." 

Yes,  God  is  everywhere,  and  God  will  let  no  harm 
befall  our  soul,  if — if — and  this  is  so  important  that  it 
requires  three  underlinings — if  we  put  our  soul  in  His 
charge. 

We  can  refuse  to  have  any  captain  of  our  soul  but 
self.     We  can  even  choose  Satan  as  its  master.     We 


88  GOD'S  JEWEL-CASE 

can,  if  we  like,  entrust  it  to  his  keeping.  The  choice 
is  ours.     God  leaves  us  free. 

But  I'll  tell  you  this.  It  is  only  in  God's  "  bundle 
of  the  living  "  that  our  soul  will  be  safe. 

And  I'll  tell  you  this,  besides.  If  our  soul  is  bound 
up  in  God's  "  bundle  of  the  living  "  it  is  be  \ind  up  also 
in  God's  bundle  of  eternal  life.  God  will  not  only 
watch  over  our  soul  here ;  He  will  take  it  to  live  with 
Him  forever  in  a  life  so  wonderful,  so  happy,  that  we 
cannot  even  imagine  how  glorious  it  will  be. 


A  FOOL'S  CAP 

I  have  played  the  fool.— i  Sam.  xxvi.  2X« 
Fools  for  Christ's  sake. — x  Cor.  iv.  lo. 

Long  ago,  there  used  to  hang  in  my  bedroom  prints  of 
two  pictures  by  the  famous  artist  Sir  David  Wilkie. 
They  were  both  pictures  of  a  schoolroom,  but  they  were 
very  different  pictures.  In  the  first  the  schoolmaster 
was  present  and  all  the  boys  were  looking  exceedingly 
busy  over  their  tasks.  In  the  second  the  master  was 
absent  and  the  boys  were  having  a  high  old  time. 

There  was  one  boy  who  always  used  to  attract  my 
attention — the  boy  with  the  fool's  cap.  He  was  the 
dunce  of  the  class  and  he  was  sitting  in  the  back- 
ground wearing  a  tall  cone-shaped  paper  cap  and 
looking  very  cross.  Nowadays  boys  are  not  punished 
in  that  way.  If  they  don't  know  their  lessons  they 
get  a  caning,  or  are  kept  after  hours,  or  have  so  many 
lines  to  write.  But  I'm  not  sure  that  the  fool's  cap 
wasn't  rather  a  good  idea  after  all;  for  the  boy  who 
won't  learn  his  lessons  is  a  bit  of  a  fool.  He  is 
punishing  himself  more  than  anybody  else  and  will 
have  to  pay  for  his  laziness  later.  He  well  deserves 
to  wear  the  fool's  cap. 

But  what  would  you  say  supposing  I  told  you  that 
we  all  have  to  wear  the  fool's  cap  ?     And  yet  that  is 

89 


90  A  FOOKS  CAP 

true.  We  can't  get  away  from  being  fools  however 
hard  we  try.  The  question  is  which  kind  of  fool  are 
we  going  to  be  ? 

The  Bible  has  quite  a  lot  to  say  about  fools,  but  in 
tlie  main  there  are  just  two  kinds — the  unwise  fool 
and  the  wise  fool.  The  first  is  the  man  who  lives  for 
himself  and  who  gives  up  everything  for  sin  and  selfish 
gratification;  the  second  is  the  man  who  lives  for 
others  and  who  gives  up  everything  for  Christ  and 
righteousness'  sake. 

I  want  to  speak  to-day  about  two  men  in  the  Bible 
who  owned  that  they  were  fools.  One  of  them  was  a 
foolish  fool,  the  other  was  a  wise  fool.  The  first  man's 
name  was  Saul — Saul  the  first  king  of  Israel. 

Saul  began  life  well.  He  was  a  fine  man,  head  and 
shoulders  above  all  the  people.  He  was  clever  and 
brave  and  chivalrous,  and  seemed  "  every  inch  a  king." 
But  he  had  one  big  fault — he  had  no  self-control.  He 
allowed  pride  and  self-will  and  envy  to  master  him, 
and  they  led  him  on  to  ruin.  It  was  because  he  lost 
control  of  himself  that  he  forfeited  his  kingship.  It 
was  because  he  allowed  the  wicked  passion  of  jealousy 
to  master  him  that  he  tried  to  kill  David  and  even  his 
own  son  Jonathan.  And  near  the  end  of  his  life,  when 
he  looked  back  in  one  of  his  better  moments  on  the 
way  sin  had  led  him,  he  cried  out  in  bitter  remorse, 
"Behold,  I  have  played  the  fool,  and  have  erred 
exceedingly." 

Sooner  or  later  sin  makes  fools  of  us  all  as  it  did  of 


1  SAMUEL  XXVI.  21  91 

King  Saul.  Often  it  looks  very  fair  and  pleasant  at 
first,  but  that  is  just  a  way  it  has.  If  we  saw  it  in  all 
its  ugliness  we  should  not  be  so  ready  to  follow  it. 
There  is  a  proverb  which  says  "Sin  begins  like  a 
spider's  web,  and  ends  like  a  cart-rope.*'  It  begins  by 
binding  us  with  a  tiny  thread  which  a  baby  could 
break,  but  it  ends  by  making  slaves  of  us. 

And  so  any  boy  or  girl  who  is  allowing  bad  temper, 
or  love  of  self,  or  love  of  ease,  or  any  other  fault  to  get 
the  better  of  them  is  just  playing  the  fool.  Anyone 
who  is  aUo'7it'^'  hi7n^f»Jf  to  be  led  away  by  bad  com- 
panions is  juat  playing  the  fool.  And  when  sin  has 
got  us  to  play  the  fool  it  sits  down  and  laughs  at  ns 
and  lets  us  pay  the  consequences. 

The  other  man  I  want  to  talk  about  was  also  called 
Saul,  though  his  name  was  afterwards  changed  to  Paul. 
But  he  was  a  very  different  kind  of  man  from  King 
Saul. 

Saul  of  Tarsus  began  life  as  a  Pharisee.  He,  too, 
was  a  young  man  of  brilliant  gifts,  and  all  his  friends 
prophesied  great  things  of  him.  He  was  likely  to  rise 
to  gre^t  esteem  among  the  Pharisees  and  already  he 
was  a  zealous  persecutor  of  the  Christians.  But  one 
day,  on  the  road  to  Damascus,  Saul  met  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  and  from  that  day  he  became  a  "fool  for 
Christ's  sake."  He  gave  up  his  brilliant  prospects. 
He  gave  up  his  comforts  and  his  home  to  become  a 
poor  travelling  missionary.  Instead  of  persecuting  he 
was  persecuted.     He  had  to  work  hard  to  keep  himself. 


92  A  FOOLS  CAP 

Often  he  was  hungry  and  thirsty,  sometimes  he  was 
beaten,  many  times  he  was  mocked  at,  and  in  the  end 
he  laid  down  his  life  for  Christ's  sake.  Again  and 
again  his  old  friends  among  the  Pharisees  must  have 
said,  "  What  a  fool  that  young  Saul  is !  ** 

But  I  think  if  you  were  asked  to-day  which  was  the 
greater  fool — Saul  of  Tarsus,  or  Paul  the  Apostle — 
you  would  have  no  hesitation  in  answering.  If  Paul 
had  remained  a  Pharisee  we  should  scarcely  have  heard 
of  him.  As  it  is,  he  is  known  as  the  greatest  Christian 
missionary.  He  did  the  grandest  and  noblest  work 
that  any  man  can  do.  He  gave  up  much,  but  he 
gained  things  far  more  precious — the  love  and  fellow- 
ship of  Christ  and  a  crown  everlasting. 

I  want  to  tell  you  about  two  men  who,  like  Paul, 
became  **  fools  for  Christ's  sake.** 

The  first  is  Antony  Ashley  Cooper,  Earl  of 
Shaftesbury.  When  he  was  a  boy  of  fourteen  or 
fifteen  Shaftesbury  was  so  impressed  with  the  miseries 
of  the  poor  that  he  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
cause  of  the  poor  and  the  friendless.  When  he  grew 
up  he  entered  Parliament,  and  from  that  time  till  the 
day  of  his  death  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  oppressed, 
and  especially  of  the  poor  children  of  England.  Many 
a  hard  battle  he  fought  in  Parliament  and  out  of  it. 
Many  an  unpopular  cause  he  took  up.  He  fought  for 
the  ovej-- worked  factory  hands,  for  the  little  children 
working  in  the  mines,  for  the  poor  little  boys  who 
were  sent  up  the  chimneys  to  sweep  them,  and  for 


1  SAMUEL  XXVI.  21  93 

many  other  oppressed  people.  He  was  often  bitterly 
opposed  but  that  did  not  seem  to  matter  to  him ;  he 
just  held  right  on  till  people  came  round  to  his  way 
of  thinking. 

But  not  only  did  he  plead  the  cause  of  the  poor ;  he 
gave  his  money  and  his  time  and  himself  to  their 
service.  In  those  days  the  slums  of  London  were  very 
terrible  places,  where  many  dark  deeds  were  done. 
But  Lord  Shaftesbury  had  no  fear.  He  went  in  and 
out  among  the  people.  He  encouraged  them  and 
helped  them  and  loved  them,  until  they  came  to  love 
him  in  return.  They  looked  upon  him  as  a  father  and 
called  him  "our  Earl";  and  when  he  died  rich  and 
poor  alike  mourned  for  him  as  for  their  dearest  friend. 

Perhaps  some  of  his  friends  may  have  called  Lord 
Shaftesbury  a  fool  to  trouble  himself  about  these 
people,  but  Britain  would  have  been  a  great  deal  worse 
off  and  a  great  deal  more  miserable  to-day  if  it  had  not 
been  for  his  folly. 

The  other  man  I  want  to  speak  of  is  Father  Damien. 
Father  Damien  was  a  young  Belgian  priest  who  heard 
of  the  awful  misery  that  existed  among  a  colony  of 
lepers  on  the  island  of  Molokai  and  devoted  his  life  to 
working  among  them.  When  he  arrived  at  the  island 
he  found  that  not  only  were  the  lepers  suffering  from 
an  awful  and  loathsome  disease,  but  they  were  living 
as  little  better  than  beasts.  The  young  priest  set  to 
work  to  improve  things.  ItTot  only  did  he  nurse  the 
lepers,  but  he  built  them  better  houses,  he  gave  them 
a  better   water-supply,  he  loved  them  and  he   told 


94  A  FOOL'S  CAP 

them  of  God's  love.  And  so  from  being  little 
better  than  criminals  the  people  came  to  be  a  self- 
respecting  colony  and  children  of  God. 

By  and  by  Father  Damien  caught  the  terrible 
disease,  and  although  he  might  have  been  cured  by 
leaving  the  island,  he  would  not  desert  the  people  he 
had  loved  and  helped,  and  in  the  end  he  died.  Some 
people  might  say  that  Father  Damien  was  a  fool,  and 
that  he  could  have  found  good  work  to  do  elsewhere. 
Bub  surely  he  was  a  very  grand  kind  of  fool,  the  kind 
we  might  all  wish  to  becoma 

One  word  more.  When  the  great  European  War 
broke  out.  Lord  Kitchener  called  for  men,  and  from 
workshop  and  ofi&ce  and  university  men  came  at  his 
call  and  at  the  call  of  duty  and  righteousness.  Many 
of  them  gave  up  brilliant  careers  or  good  businovsses ;  all 
of  them  took  their  lives  in  their  hands.  The  world 
might  call  them  fools.  Yes,  but  they  were  glorious 
fools.  Many  of  them  laid  down  their  lives  that  we 
who  were  too  young  or  too  old  or  too  weak  to  fight 
might  live. 

Boys  and  girls  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  these 
lives  of  yours  that  they  have  paid  for  with  their  lives  ? 
The  future  of  England  lies  with  you,  and  Christ  has 
need  of  His  soldiers  too.  Are  you  just  going  to  "  play 
the  fool "  and  squander  your  lives  away ;  or  will  you, 
with  all  the  noble  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  become 
"  fools  for  Christ's  sake  "  ? 


PAYING   YOUR  DEBTS. 

The  men  of  Jabesh-gilead  were  they  that  buried  Saul. — 
2  Sam.  ii.  4. 

This  seems  a  queer  text,  doesn't  it?  Perhaps  you 
wonder  what  it  has  to  do  with  you  and  me.  But  you 
see  it  is  only  the  end  of  a  story,  and  for  the  beginning 
of  it  we  must  go  back  many  years — right  back  to  the 
commencement  of  King  Saul's  reign. 

In  those  days  the  men  of  Jabesh-gilead  weren't  at 
all  brave;  in  fact  they  showed  themselves  rather 
cowardly  and  servile. 

Their  enemies,  the  fierce  Ammonites,  came  up  and 
surrounded  their  city.  By  and  by  the  people  of  Jabesh 
were  worn  out  with  the  siege  and  they  began  to  get 
badly  frightened.  They  were  afraid  of  what  would 
happen  to  them  if  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  their 
enemies,  and  they  sent  messengers  to  the  Ammonites, 
saying,  "  Make  terms  with  us  and  we  will  serve  you." 

What  do  you  think  the  answer  was  ?  "  On  one 
condition  only  will  we  treat  with  you — on  the  condi- 
tion that  we  put  out  the  right  eye  of  every  one  of  you 
and  that  the  disgrace  of  it  be  laid  to  the  account  of 
all  Israel  who  have  not  come  to  your  aid/* 

Somewhere  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Jabesh- 
gilead  there  must  have  been  a  spark  of  courage  left. 

85 


96  PAYING  YOUR  DEBTS 

And  that  cruel  reply  fanned  it  into  flame.  They  wera 
not  going  to  lose  their  eyes  without  making  a  big  effort, 
they  were  not  going  to  bring  disgrace  upon  all  Israel 
without  making  a  last  attempt  to  remedy  matters. 
They  asked  for  seven  days'  respite  in  which  they  were 
to  be  allowed  to  send  messages  into  all  parts  of  Israel. 
Then  if  their  fellow-countrymen  refused  indeed  to 
come  to  their  aid,  they  would  give  themselves  into  the 
hands  of  the  Ammonites. 

So  the  messengers  went  through  all  the  land  of  Israel, 
and  they  came,  among  other  places,  to  Gibeah,  where 
Saul  lived.  Saul  was  not  at  home  when  they  arrived ; 
he  was  out  in  the  fields  ploughing,  for,  as  you  know, 
he  was  a  farmer.  And  when  the  people  of  Gibeah 
received  the  message,  what  do  you  suppose  they  did  ? 
They  sat  down  and  cried  just  like  a  lot  of  babies. 
They  wept  and  they  wailed,  they  wrung  their  hands, 
and  they  made  a  most  awful  noise. 

Well,  you  know,  sitting  down  and  crying  about  a 
thing  never  mended  matters  and  never  will.  Presently 
Saul  returned  from  his  day's  work  and  when  he  heard 
the  din  he  said,  "What  in  all  the  worid  is  the  row 
about?"  Then  somebody  told  him  the  story  of  the 
men  of  Jabesh-gilead.  And  when  Saul  heard  it  he 
grew  hot  with  righteous  wrath.  He  didn't  sit  down 
and  cry  about  it.     He  began  to  act. 

First  he  slew  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  cut  them  in  pieces. 
Then  he  sent  the  pieces  by  messengers  through  all  the 
land  of  Israel  just  as  the  Highlanders  of  Scotland  used 
to  send  the  fiery  cross  from  hand  to  hand  to  gather 


2  SAMUEL  II.  4  97 

the  members  of  their  clans.  And  with  the  messengers 
he  sent  a  message — "  Whosoever  cometh  not  forth  after 
Saul  and  after  Samuel,  so  shall  it  be  done  unto  his 
oxen." 

The  effect  was  wonderful.  In  a  very  short  time  he 
had  gathered  together  an  army  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand  men.  They  marched  upon  Jabesh- 
gilead  and  fell  upon  the  Ammonites  in  the  early 
morning,  surprising  and  utterly  routing  them. 

So  the  men  of  Jabesh-gilead  were  delivered. 

But  that  LB  not  all  the  story.  Many  years  afterwards 
Saul  was  defeated  in  battle  by  the  Philistines.  Three 
of  his  sons  were  killed.  He  himself  was  sorely  wounded, 
and  rather  than  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  he 
took  his  own  life. 

The  following  day  the  Philistines  found  the  bodies  of 
Saul  and  of  his  sons  on  the  battlefield.  They  stripped 
the  king  of  his  armour  and  cut  off  his  head.  His 
armour  they  put  in  the  house  of  one  of  their  gods,  his 
head  in  the  temple  of  another,  while  his  body  and  that 
of  his  sons  they  hung  upon  the  wall  of  one  of  their 
fortified  cities — Beth-shan. 

Now  Beth-shan  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Jordan  from  Jabesh-gilead  and  distant  from  it  less 
than  twenty  miles.  And  when  it  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  men  of  Jabesh  how  the  Philistines  had  insulted 
their  king,  all  the  valiant  men  among  them  arose 
and  set  out  at  dead  of  night  to  rescue  the  bodies. 
It  was  a  hazardous  business,  but  they  did  not  hesitate. 

All  night  they  went,  and  before  dawn  they  reached 


98  PAYING  YOUR  DEBTO 

the  hill  on  which  stood  the  city.  They  climbed  the 
steep  rock  to  the  wall,  rescued  the  bodies,  and  carried 
them  back  to  Jabesh-gilead.  There  they  buried  them 
under  a  sacred  tree. 

So  the  men  of  Jabesh  paid  their  debt.  They  forgot 
Saul's  mistakes,  they  forgot  his  faults,  they  remembered 
only  that  he  had  once  helped  them  when  they  were 
in  sore  straits,  and  they  risked  their  lives  to  save  his 
body  from  disgrace. 

I  want  to  tell  you  another  story,  boys  and  girls.  It 
is  a  little  story  that  is  told  in  the  life  of  one  of  the 
first  and  best  of  hospital  nurses — Sister  Dora — and  it 
happened  half  a  century  ago. 

In  those  days  surgeons  did  not  know  so  well  as  they 
do  now  how  to  save  a  badly  injured  arm  or  leg.  The 
usual  cure  was — "  Take  it  off." 

One  day  a  young  man  was  brought  into  the  hospital 
where  Sister  Dora  was  working.  His  arm  had  been 
badly  twisted  and  torn  by  machinery  and  the  surgeon 
gave  his  verdict  that,  in  order  to  save  the  patient's  life, 
he  must  amputate  the  limb. 

The  young  man  was  greatly  distressed.  It  was  his 
right  arm  and  without  it  he  would  be  very  helpless. 
Sister  Dora  examined  the  limb  and  then  she  said  to 
the  sui-geon,  **  I  believe  I  can  save  this  arm  if  you  will 
let  me  try." 

The  surgeon  was  very  angry,  but  finally  he  consented. 
"  But  remember  it's  your  arm,"  he  said,  "  I  wash  my 
hands  of  the  case." 


2  SAMUEL  II.  4  99 

Sister  Dora  did  save  the  arm,  and  at  hospital  the 
man  received  the  nickname  of  "  Sister's  arm." 

Some  time  later  Sister  Dora  herself  fell  ill  and  this 
same  man  walked  eleven  miles  to  ask  for  her  every 
Sunday — his  only  free  day. 

He  used  to  pull  the  bell  very  hard  and  when  the 
servant  appeared  he  would  anxiously  inquire,  "  How's 
Sister  ?  "  And  always  before  he  went  away,  he  would 
say,  "  Tell  her  that's  her  arm  that  rang  the  bell." 

How  many  of  you  can  find  a  connection  between 
these  two  stories  ?  It  is  just  this.  In  both  cases  they 
tell  of  people  who  remembered  and  who  paid  their 
debt  as  best  they  could.     Do  we  ? 

Do  we  pay  our  debts  to  our  father  and  mother,  to 
God  ?  I  think  sometimes  it  isn't  that  we  forget  or 
mean  to  be  ungrateful ;  it  is  just  that  we  don't  think. 
We  are  so  accustomed  to  the  benefits  and  kindnesses 
that  are  showered  upon  us  that  we  don't  realize  how 
big  they  are  or  how  numerous. 

Will  you  try  to  begin  to  think  to-day  ?  Above  aU, 
will  you  try  to  remember  that,  far  more  than  that  man 
had  the  right  to  be  called  "  Sister's  arm,"  you  have  the 
right  to  be  called  "  Jesus'  boy  "  or  "  Jesus'  girl,"  for  He 
died  to  save  you.  Are  you  ready  to  acknowledge  that  ? 
Are  you  ready  to  pay  your  debt  to  Him  ? 


GOD'S  DWELLING-PLACE. 

The  ark  of  the  Lord  remained  in  the  honse  of  Obed-edom  the 
Gittite  three  months :  and  the  Lord  blessed  Obed-edom,  and  all 
his  house.— 2  Sam.  vi.  ii. 

To-day  I  want  to  tell  you  the  story  of  a  box  or  chest — 
a  very  wonderful  chest  indeed.  Even  to  look  at  it  was 
wonderful,  for  though  it  was  made  of  acacia,  or  what 
the  Bible  calls  "  shittim,"  wood  it  was  plated  all  over 
with  gold.  On  the  top  of  the  chest  rested  a  solid  slab  of 
gold  which  had  a  beautiful  name  of  its  own.  It  was 
called  the  Mercy  Seat.  At  each  end  of  this  Mercy 
Seat  was  a  winged  figure  called  a  cherubim  and  between 
these  two  figures,  when  the  chest  was  put  in  its  proper 
place,  there  rested  a  mysterious  light.  That  light  was 
the  sign,  the  token,  of  the  presence  of  God.  Inside  the 
chest  were  the  "  tables  of  stone  "  which  Moses  brought 
down  from  Mount  Sinai,  tablets  on  which  were  written 
the  ten  commandments  given  to  him  by  God.  This 
chest,  or  "ark"  as  the  Bible  names  it,  was  the  most 
sacxed  and  cherished  possession  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  it  was  carried  from  place  to  place  with  great 
care,  according  as  God  commanded. 

Several   very  remarkable    things    occurred    in    its 
history.     When  the  priests  bore  it  to  the  brink  of  the 

100 


2  SAMUEL  VI.  11  101 

river  Jordan,  the  waters  were  divided  before  it  and  they 
kept  divided  so  long  as  the  ark  rested  in  the  river  bed. 
It  was  carried  round  the  city  of  Jericho  seven  days  in 
succession,  and  on  the  last  day  the  walls  fell  flat,  and 
the  Israelites  entered  the  city  without  opposition. 

Tlie  ark  was  afterwards  placed  in  Shiloh,  and  there  a 
strange  adventure  befell  it.  It  was  taken  into  the 
midst  of  the  camp  of  Israel  when  they  were  about 
to  fight  with  the  Philistines.  The  battle  was  fought, 
Israel  was  beaten,  and  the  ark  was  taken  captive.  The 
Philistines  carried  it  off  and  set  it  up  in  the  temple  of 
Dagon,  their  fish-god.  "  Now,"  said  they,  "  by  this  we 
proclaim  that  Jehovah,  Israel's  God,  is  the  conquered 
prisoner  of  our  god.'*  But  the  morning  showed  Dagon 
lying  broken  on  the  threshold.  The  frightened  priests 
got  rid  of  the  ark  as  quickly  as  they  could.  From  one 
PhiHstine  city  to  another  it  passed,  and  everywhere  its 
presence  was  marked  by  disease  and  calamity.  So  at 
last  they  huddled  it  into  a  cart  and  left  the  oxen  to 
draw  it  whither  they  would.  The  animals  made 
straight  for  the  hills  of  Judaea,  and  rested  in  a  harvest 
field  of  Beth-shemesh. 

The  ark  was  then  left  for  a  time  at  Kirjath-jearim, 
till  David  thought  of  bringing  it  to  Zion.  But,  awe- 
struck by  the  death  of  Uzzah,  who  rashly  put  out  his 
hand  to  touch  it,  David  ordered  it  to  be  carried  into  the 
house  of  a  very  good  man  called  Obed-edom,  where  it 
remained  three  months.  And  all  the  time  it  was  there, 
a  blessing  rested  with  it.  There  were  no  idols  in  Obed- 
edom's  house,  and  he  was  not  presumptuous  like  Uzzah. 


102  GOD'S  DWELLING-PLACE 

He  feared  and  served  the  God  of  the  ark ;  so,  instead 
of  being  a  source  of  disaster,  it  was  a  blessing  to  him. 

Would  you  like  to  know  the  rest  of  the  story  ?  After 
the  ark  had  rested  three  months  in  Obed-edom's  house 
it  was  safely  removed  to  a  special  tent  which  King 
David  had  erected  for  it  in  Zion,  that  is,  Jerusalem. 
David  wanted  to  build  a  temple  to  be  a  fitting  home 
for  the  ark,  but  God  asked  him  to  leave  that  to  his 
successor.  And  so,  when  Solomon  came  to  the  throne, 
he  erected  a  magnificent  Temple  and  there  the  ark  was 
placed  in  state.  What  really  was  the  end  of  it  we  shall 
probably  never  know,  but  most  people  suppose  that 
when  Jerusalem  and  its  Temple  were  destroyed  by 
Nebuchadrezzar,  the  king  of  Babylon,  the  ark  was 
destroyed  too. 

Now  I  don't  want  you  to  think  of  the  sad  end  of  the 
ark.  I  want  you  to  think  of  it  as  our  text  speaks  of  it, 
resting  in  the  house  of  Obed-edom.  Don't  you  think 
Obed-edom  must  have  been  very  proud,  and  very  awed 
at  the  same  time,  to  think  that  the  dwelling-place  of 
the  great  God  of  Israel  should  be  in  his  house  ?  For 
Obed-edom,  like  the  Israelites  of  his  day,  would  believe 
that  God  came  down  and  dwelt  specially  between  the 
outstretched  wings  of  the  cherubim.  But  he  would  not 
understand  what  his  countrymen  were  to  learn  later, 
and  what  you  and  I  know  to-day — that  God  loves  to 
dwell  in  every  house  and  in  every  place  where  He  is 
invited  to  come. 

That  reminds  me  of  a  story  I  read  the  other  day. 
Some  years  ago  there  lived  in  one  of  the  central  states 


2  SAMUEL  VI.  11  103 

of  America  a  certain  farmer  who  had  a  wife  and  two 
children,  a  baby  boy  and  a  little  girl  of  seven.  He  was 
not  making  a  success  of  his  farm,  and  when  the  great 
north-west  country  was  opened  up  he  resolved  to  move 
there  and  begin  afresh.  So  he  went  off  and  secured  a 
farm  in  a  very  lonely  out-of-the-way  spot.  When  he 
came  home  and  told  his  little  girl  what  he  had  done, 
her  first  question  was,  "Is  there  any  church  there. 
Dad  ? "  (She  was  fond  of  church,  you  see.)  Dad  said, 
"  No."  "  Is  there  any  Sunday  school  there  ? "  inquired 
she.  Again  Dad  said,  "  No."  Then, "  Is  there  any  God 
there  ? "  she  asked.  And  Dad  didn't  know  what  to  say 
to  that,  so  he  answered  nothing. 

When  they  had  moved  all  the  furniture  out  of  the 
old  home  and  were  ready  to  start  for  the  train,  the 
child  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  They  hunted  high  and 
low,  and  at  last  her  mother  found  her.  Do  you  know 
where  ?  In  her  own  little  empty  room,  kneeling  in  one 
corner  with  her  face  to  the  wall.  She  was  praying 
aloud,  and  this  is  what  she  was  saying — "  Dear  God,  we 
are  going  to  North  Dakota  and  there  is  no  Sunday 
school  there,  and  there  is  no  church  there,  and  there  is 
no  God  there.     Good-bye,  dear  God,  good-bye." 

Poor  little  lassie !  Her  heart  was  nearly  broken 
because  she  did  not  understand  that  God  dwells 
wherever  He  is  invited  to  dwell.  She  did  not  know 
that  His  favourite  dwelling-place  is  the  loving  heart  of 
just  such  a  little  child. 

Perhaps  you  would  like  to  hear  the  end  of  that  story. 
It  has  a  happier  ending  than  the  story  of  the  ark. 


104  GOD'S  DWELLING-PLACE 

When  the  little  gM's  mother  overheard  ttie  prayer  she 
knelt  down  beside  the  child  and  asked  God  to  send  the 
Sunday  school  and  the  church  to  their  new  home,  and 
to  go  with  them  Himself.  And  do  you  know  what 
happened?  Within  two  months  a  Sunday  school 
missionary  started  a  Sunday  school  in  that  place ;  and 
within  five  months  a  little  church  was  opened,  and  the 
neighbours  for  miles  round  came  there  to  worship  God. 
God,  boys  and  girls,  never  refuses  an  invitation  to 
come  and  stay.  And  where  He  comes  He  blesses  as 
He  blessed  Obed-edom.  Have  you  ever  sent  Him  an 
invitation?  Have  you  invited  Him  to  yonr  home? 
Have  you  asked  Him  to  dweH  in  yoiir  heart? 


A  PROMISE  AND  HOW  IT 
WAS   KEPT. 

Thou  shait  not  cut  ofif  thy  kindness  from  my  house  for  ever. — 
I  Sam.  XX.  15. 

I  will  surely  shew  thee  kindness  for  Jonathan  thy  fcith^s 
sake.— 2  Sam.  ix.  7. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  were  two  young  men  who 
were  fast  friends.  They  loved  each  other  as  perhaps 
no  two  friends  have  ever  done  before  or  since.  One 
of  them  was  a  prince,  the  other  had  been  a  shepherd 
and  a  soldier  and  he  was  now  an  outlaw.  For  the 
king,  the  prince's  father,  did  not  love  him  as  the  prince 
did.  It  had  come  to  his  knowledge  that  one  day  this 
young  shepherd-soldier  would  sit  on  the  throne,  and 
he  was  very  jealous.  He  was  so  jealous  that  he  tried 
to  take  the  young  man's  life,  and  the  youth  had  to  flee 
from  him. 

So  the  time  came  when  the  prince  and  the  soldier 
must  part.  The  prince  must  stay  beside  his  father,  for 
that  was  his  duty,  but  the  soldier  must  hide  himself 
among  the  hills  so  that  the  king  might  not  find  him. 

The  two  friends  were  very,  very  sad,  and  very,  very 
sorry ;  and  because  they  were  so  sad  and  sorry,  and 
because  they  loved  each  other  so  much,  they  made  a  vow 
one  with  another.     The  prince  knew  that  some  day  the 

106 


106     A  PROMISE  AND  HOW  IT  WAS  KEPT 

soldier  would  come  to  the  throne,  that  he  would  take 
the  place  that  was  really  his.  Unlike  his  father,  he 
was  not  a  bit  jealous.  He  loved  his  friend  so  much 
that  he  was  glad  when  anything  good  happened  to 
him.  But  he  made  him  promise  that  he  would  never 
forget  him.  And  the  soldier  promised  that,  whatever 
happened,  he  would  always  show  kindness  to  the 
prince  and  to  his  sons  and  grandsons  who  should  come 
after  him.     So  they  parted. 

By  and  by  God  sent  the  prince  a  little  son,  and  the 
prince  gave  him  a  queer  long  name.  He  called  him 
Mephibosheth. 

For  the  first  five  years  of  his  life  little  Mephibosheth 
had  a  very  happy  time.  He  lived  in  a  palace  and  was 
very  much  petted  and  adored.  And  he  was  quite  sure 
that  nobody  had  such  a  splendid  daddy  as  he.  For 
Mephibosheth  loved  and  admired  his  father  tremend- 
ously. Who  was  so  brave,  or  so  handsome,  or  so  good  ? 
He  liked  to  see  him  dressed  in  his  beautiful  shining 
armour  and  wearing  on  his  face  such  a  brave,  stem 
look :  for  daddy  went  a  great  deal  to  war  in  those  days. 
But  best  of  all  he  loved  the  quiet  evenings  when  there 
was  no  fighting  and  daddy  lifted  him  on  his  knees 
before  bedtime  and  told  him  stories  of  the  great 
battles  of  long  ago. 

There  was  one  story  he  liked  specially  to  hear.  It 
was  the  tale  of  how  the  young  shepherd  boy  who  was 
daddy*s  greatest  friend  fought  the  big  giant  who  was 
frightening  all  the  famous  warriors  of  his  land.  Often 
and  often  the  prince  spoke  about  this  friend.     He  used 


1  SAMUEL  XX.  15  107 

to  tell  how  brave  he  was,  and  how  loving  and  kind. 
And  sometimes  his  voice  would  grow  husky,  and 
something  that  was  warm  and  wet  would  fall  on 
Mephibosheth's  brow.  Then  the  little  boy  would  put 
up  his  hand  and  stroke  his  father's  face  and  say,  "  Don't 
cry,  Daddy :  I  love  you  too." 

There  was  one  thing  that  the  prince  repeated 
over  and  over  again :  "  If  ever  you  are  in  trouble, 
Mephibosheth,  and  1  am  away,  you  must  go  to  this 
friend.  He  will  help  you  and  be  kind  to  you  for  he 
has  promised.     And  he  never  breaks  his  promise" 

When  Mephibosheth  was  just  five  years  old  there 
came  a  very  sad  morning  when  daddy  came  in  all 
dressed  in  his  shining  armour  and  told  his  little  son 
that  he  was  going  away  to  fight  grandfather's  enemies. 
I  think  he  must  have  known  he  would  never  come 
back,  for  his  face  looked  so  sad,  and  he  kissed 
Mephibosheth  long  and  tenderly  and  told  him  always 
to  be  a  good  boy. 

That  evening  there  was  terrible  excitement  in  the 
palace.  Messengers  came  rushing  in  bearing  very  bad 
news.  There  had  been  a  great  battle  and  the  king's 
army  had  been  defeated.  The  king  was  killed,  and  the 
brave  prince,  and  other  two  of  the  king's  sons.  And 
the  enemy  were  in  pursuit.  They  would  soon  reach 
the  palace,  and  they  would  kill  everyone  they  found 
there.  The  women  and  children  must  flee  for  their 
lives. 

In  terror,  Mephibosheth's  nurse  caught  him  up  in 
her  arms,  set  him  on  her  shoulder,  and  ran  with  him 


108      A  PROMISE  AND  HOW  IT  WAS  KEPT 

as  fast  as  she  could  away  from  the  palace.  And  as  she 
ran  she  tripped  and  fell.  The  boy  was  daehed  violently 
against  some  stones,  and  his  feet  were  injured.  Oh 
how  they  hurt !  After  that  he  didn't  quite  know  what 
happened.  Somebody  picked  him  up  and  ran  on  and 
on  with  him,  on  and  on  across  a  river,  oo.  suid  on  till 
they  came  to  a  farm  among  the  hills,  where  a  kind 
farmer  oSi^ed  to  take  care  of  the  king's  grandson. 

When  Mephibosheth  came  to  himself  he  discovered 
a  very  sad  thing — he  was  lame  in  both  his  feet !  He 
would  never  be  able  to  run  and  play  like  other  boys : 
he  would  always  be  a  helpless  cripple.  Besides  that 
his  dear  daddy  was  dead.  He  would  never  see  him 
again.  Don't  you  think  he  must  have  been  a  very 
sad  and  sorry  little  boy  that  day? 

There  was  another  thing  that  made  him  sad.  Always 
his  friends  kept  saying  that  they  must  hide  him  from 
David.  David  was  the  new  king  who  sat  on  grand- 
father's throne ;  and  if  David  knew  there  was  such  a 
person  as  Mephibosheth  he  would  want  to  kill  him, 
they  said.  For  it  often  happened  in  those  cruel  days 
that  the  new  king  put  to  death  all  the  relatives  of  the 
old  king. 

Mephibosheth  was  puzzled.  "  David !  *'  Wasn't  that 
the  name  of  daddy's  great  friend — the  brave  shepherd 
who  slew  the  giant  ?  And  daddy  had  told  him  to  go 
to  David  if  he  was  in  trouble.  Yet  they  said  David 
wanted  to  kill  him.  It  was  all  very  queer.  Of  course 
he  couldn't  go  to  David  now  because  of  his  poor  lame 
feet,  and  nobody  would  take  him.     And  by  and  by  he 


1  SAMUEL  XX.  15  109 

began  to  half  believe  the  things  these  friends  of  his 
grandfather  told  him.  You  see  he  was  very  little,  and 
daddy  was  dead,  and  there  was  no  one  to  tell  him 
anything  better. 

So  the  years  passed  until  Mephibosheth  had  grown 
to  be  a  man  and  was  married  and  had  a  little  boy  of 
his  own. 

Then  one  evening,  away  in  his  palace  in  Jerusalem, 
King  David  sat  thinking  about  the  long  ago  days  when 
he  was  a  young  man.  He  had  been  very  busy  fighting 
the  enemiee  of  his  country  since  he  came  to  the  throne, 
but  now  the  land  was  at  peace  and  he  had  time  to 
think.  His  mind  went  back  to  the  day  when  he  had 
fought  the  giant,  to  the  days  when  he  had  lived  in 
King  Sauls  palace,  to  the  days  when  he  had  wandered 
as  an  outkw  among  the  hills.  And  always  in  his 
thoughts  there  was  the  remembrance  of  a  friend  who 
had  been  true  and  unselfish  and  loyal,  a  friend  who 
would  have  laid  down  his  life  for  him. 

One  scene  especially  came  back  to  his  memory.  It 
was  a  scene  in  a  field  where  this  friend,  on  the  eve  of 
their  parting,  made  him  promise  a  solemn  promise — 
that  he  would  be  kind  to  him  and  to  his  children 
for  ever. 

And  David  cried  out  with  a  great  longing — "  Is  there 
yet  any  that  is  left  of  the  house  of  Saul,  that  I  may 
shew  him  kindness  for  Jonathan's  sake  ? " 

Now  some  of  his  servants  overheard  him  and  they 
said,  "  There  is  here  an  old  servant  of  Saul  called  Ziba, 
He  knows   something  about  Saul's  descendants."     So 


110      A  PROMISE  AND  HOW  IT  WAS  KEPT 

David  sent  for  Ziba  and  when  the  servant  was  brought 
into  his  presence  he  repeated  his  question. 

The  old  man  replied  that  Jonathan  had  a  son  called 
Mephibosheth  who  was  lame  in  both  his  feet  and  that 
he  was  living  with  a  farmer  away  across  the  Jordan. 
Can't  you  imagine  how  glad  David  was  when  he  heard 
that  ?  Jonathan  had  a  son  still  alive,  and  he  had 
never  known ! 

He  sent  at  once  to  fetch  him.  And  when  Mephi- 
bosheth was  brought  into  the  king's  presence  he  threw 
himself  down  at  his  feet  and  made  himself  very  humble. 
You  see  he  had  been  told  nearly  all  his  life  that  David 
wanted  to  kill  him,  and  he  may  have  been  afraid  that 
David  had  just  sent  for  him  to  put  him  to  death. 

But  the  king  raised  him  up  and  spoke  very  kindly 
to  him.  He  told  him  not  to  fear,  for  he  would  surely 
show  him  kindness  for  Jonathan  his  father's  sake.  He 
told  him  also  that  he  would  give  him  all  the  land  that 
had  belonged  to  his  grandfather  Saul,  and  that  he 
would  lend  him  Ziba  and  his  fifteen  sons  to  be  his 
servants.  They  would  till  the  land  for  him  so  that 
he  need  never  want.  Finally  he  said  that  always 
Mephibosheth  was  to  sit  at  the  king's  table  and  take 
his  place  among  the  king's  sons. 

Don't  you  think  Mephibosheth  must  have  felt  proud 
and  glad  that  day  ?  And  don't  you  think  that  David 
kept  that  old,  old  promise  splendidly  ? 

Why  have  I  told  you  this  story  to-day  ?  Because  I 
want  you,  like  David,  to  remember  that  a  promise,  a 


1  SAMUEL  XX.  15  111 

solemn  promise,  is  a  sacred  thing,  and  that  it  ought  to 
be  kept. 

There  was  a  little  boy  once  who  was  asked  what  the 
word  "  promise  "  meant ;  and  he  replied,  "  To  promise 
is  to  keep  it  in  your  mind,  keep  it  in  your  mind,  keep 
it  in  your  mind,  till  you  do  it"  Don't  you  think  that 
was  a  splendid  answer  ?  Sometimes  it  is  years,  as  it 
was  in  David's  case,  before  we  can  fulfil  our  promise, 
but  we  must  "  keep  it  in  our  mind,"  until  at  last  we 
are  able  to  do  it. 

Away  up  in  the  north  of  Scotland  there  is  a  little 
footbridge  over  a  mountain  stream,  and  on  the  central 
stone  of  the  bridge  there  is  a  curious  inscription.  It 
consists  of  just  three  words — "  God  and  me."  Would 
you  like  to  know  the  story  of  that  bridge  ? 

In  the  summertime  the  stream  is  often  a  mere 
trickle  of  water,  but  in  spring,  when  the  snows  melt 
on  the  hills,  it  becomes  a  raging  torrent.  Once  when 
this  burn  was  "  in  spate,"  as  we  say  in  Scotland,  a  little 
girl  attempted  to  cross  it.  She  attempted  to  cross,  and 
she  fell  in  and  was  in  danger  of  drowning.  She  prayed 
to  God  to  help  her,  and  she  promised  that  if  He  would 
save  her  then  she  would  build  a  bridge  over  the  stream. 
Well,  God  did  help  her  and  she  got  safely  across  to  the 
other  side. 

She  was  just  a  poor  girl,  but  after  a  while  she  went 
to  work.  And  she  never  forgot  her  promise.  Little 
by  little  she  gathered  her  pennies  until  before  she  died 
she  had  saved  enough  to  build  the  bridge.  And  she 
put  on  it  that  beautiful  motto — "  God  and  me." 


112      A  PROMISE  AND  HOW  IT  WAS  KEPT 

BoT3  and  girls,  try  always  to  make  promises  that  are 
good  Mid  worthy.  And  when  you  haye  made  them, 
remember  that  they  are  not  things  to  be  tossed  aside 
lightly.  They  are  binding  and  sacred;  and  we  must 
keep  them  in  our  mind,  keep  them  in  our  mind,  keep 
them  in  our  mind,  tiil  wefulJU  thei^ 


PLAYING   THE  MAN. 

Let  US  play  the  mea.— 2  Sam.  x.  12. 

JoAB,  the  OGmmander-in-chief  of  David's  army,  found 
himself  in  a  tight  corner.  He  had  been  sent  by  ^Kiag 
David  to  lay  siege  to  Rabbah,  the  capital  of  Animon. 
But  when  he  approached  Eabbah  the  Ammonites 
came  out  to  fight  him,  and  the  Syrians,  whom  tte  King 
of  Ammon  had  hired  to  help  him,  closed  in  behind  him. 
There  he  wae,  shut  in  between  two  armies,  his  retreat 
cut  off  in  both  directions.  What  was  he  to  do? 
Well,  the  only  course  was  to  face  the  situation  and 
make  the  best  of  it.  He  must  divide  his  army  in  two, 
and  fight  both  enemies  at  once. 

The  Syrians  were  the  more  formidable  foe,  so  he 
resolved  to  face  them  himself ;  and  for  this  purpose  he 
chose  out  the  doughtiest  of  the  warriors — men  tried  in 
many  a  fight  like  Napoleon's  "  Old  Guard."  The  reec 
of  the  army  he  put  under  the  corumand  of  Alwsbai  his 
brother,  with  injunctions  that,  if  the  Syrians  proved 
too  strong,  Abishai  was  to  come  to  his  aid,  and  if  the 
Ammonites  proved  too  strong,  he  was  to  go  to 
Abishai's  aid. 

As  they  parted  Joab  gave  a  few  last  wMds  of 
encouragement — the  best  that  any  general  oo*ld  give 


114  PLAYING  THE  MAN 

to  his  officers  or  men  on  going  into  action — "Be  of 
good  courage,  and  let  us  play  the  men  for  our  people, 
and  for  the  cities  of  our  God:  and  the  Lord  do  that 
which  seemeth  him  good." 

We  know  how  the  battle  ended — how  the  Syrians 
did  not  wait  to  fight,  but  turned  and  lied  before  the 
terrible  onslaught  of  these  determined  warriors ;  and 
how  the  Ammonites,  seeing  their  allies  routed,  retired 
hastily  within  the  walls  of  their  city. 

"Let  us  play  the  men."  That  is  surely  the  best 
motto  any  boy  can  take.  If  he  lives  up  to  it  and  all 
that  it  means  he  has  not  lived  in  vain.  If  he  lives  up  to 
it,  he  is  taking  his  place  among  the  heroes  of  the  world. 

"  Let  us  play  the  men."  What  does  it  mean  ?  Well 
it  does  not  mean  "  let  us  play  at  being  a  man."  You 
can  play  at  being  a  man  when  you  smoke  cigarettes, 
and  speak  in  a  gruff  voice,  and  swagger  a  cane.  But 
that  is  not  "  playing  the  man." 

No,  "  playing  the  man  "  means  something  far  grander 
and  bigger  and  more  worth  while.  It  means  rising  to 
the  best  that  is  in  us,  rising  to  all  we  were  meant  to  be 
when  God  created  man  in  His  image.  It  means  being 
brave  and  honourable  and  self-controlled. 

Playing  the  man  means  conquering  ourselves,  and 
conquering  our  circumstances. 

First  it  means  conqueritig  ourselves.  There  is  no  use 
blinking  the  fact  that  we  have  all  got  within  us  some- 
thing that  can  make  us  less  than  man,  but  something 
that,  if  grappled  with  and  conquered,  can  make  us  more 


2  SAMUEL  X.  12  115 

than  man.  We  have  all  got  within  us  a  bit  of  the  beast. 
You  can  hear  the  bear  growling  sometimes,  you  can 
see  the  tiger's  claws,  you  can  watch  the  pig  wallowing, 
and  the  peacock  strutting. 

Now  it  is  the  business  of  all  of  us  to  tame  and 
control  that  beast.  And  be  very  sure  of  this,  uiil^ss 
you  are  going  to  control  him,  he  is  going  to  control  you. 
We  don't  allow  wild  beasts  to  roam  about  our  houses 
and  lie  down  under  our  tables.  We  chain  them 
up,  and  put  them  in  cages.  Chain  up  your  wild 
beasts. 

It  is  going  to  be  a  tough  job,  but  it  will  make  a  man 
of  you.  You  will  have  a  harder  task  even  than  Joab 
had.  He  had  enemies  on  all  sides,  but  we  are  not  told 
that  he  had  any  deserters  or  traitors  within.  Not 
only  have  you  enemies  without,  but  you  have  traitors 
and  deserters  within.  Your  courage  will  some- 
times play  you  false,  your  i^esolution  will  desert 
you.  But  what  of  that?  The  true  hero  is  the 
man  who  persists  though  the  odds  be  greatly  against 
him,  the  man  who  faces  the  fight  even  though  he  be 
afraid. 

Do  you  know  the  story  of  Derar,  a  brave  warrior 
who  was  one  of  Mohammed's  followers  ?  In  the  year 
633  Mohammed's  followers  were  at  war  with  the 
Roman  Empire,  and  one  day  in  battle  Derar  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  thirty  soldiers  —  thirty 
soldiers  whom  he  had  to  fight  alone.  Before  help  could 
come  he  had  killed  or  unhorsed  seventeen  of  those 
thirty  men.     When  he  was  asked  afterwards  why  he 


116  PLAYING  THE  MAN 

had  not  run  away,  he  replied,  "  I  was  afraid  that  God 
would  see  me  turn  my  back."  That  is  the  only  thing 
that  a  man  need  fear — that  God  should  see  him  turn 
his  back.  "  Be  of  good  courage,"  then ;  let  us  fight  the 
beast,  let  us  fight  for  our  manhood,  "  let  us  play  the 
men." 

Secondly  "  playing  the  man  "  means  eonquering  cir- 
cumstcmces.  Sometimes  you  hear  people  saying  that 
"  circumstances  '*  were  too  strong  for  them.  Such  a 
statement  is  generally  a  whining  excuse  for  moral 
weakness.  There  are  some  things  that  we  cannot  alter 
in  this  world :  we  have  just  to  take  them  as  they  are 
and  make  the  best  of  them.  But  taking  circumstances 
as  they  are  and  making  the  best  of  them  doesn't  mean 
that  the  circumstances  have  got  the  better  of  us.  It 
means  that  we  have  got  the  better  of  the  circumstances, 
and  that  is  a  very  different  thing. 

Let  us  suppose  that  an  officer  is  ordered  to  a  lonely 
outpost  on  the  Indian  frontier.  There  are  two  ways 
he  could  meet  the  situation.  He  could  make  a  fuss 
about  it  and  grumble  at  his  hard  luck — I  don't  say  he 
does,  for  that  is  not  the  sort  of  thing  a  soldier  does, 
but  he  cmtld  do  it.  He  could  grumble,  and  do  his 
work  with  half  a  heart,  and  make  those  around  him 
thoroughly  miserable.  What  would  be  the  conse- 
quence ?  His  work  would  suffer,  and  the  likelihood  is 
that  he  would  be  kept  at  that  lonely  outpost  for  some 
considerable  time  or  be  sent  to  a  worse  ona  On  the 
other  hand  he  could  throw  his  whole  heart  and  soul 
into  the  work  and  determine  to  make  the  best  of 


2  SAMUEL  X.   12  117 

things.  Promotion  to  a  better  billet  would  probably 
follow,  but  in  any  case  the  man  would  gain  in  self- 
control  and  manliness.  He  would  get  the  better  of 
his  circumstances  by  getting  the  best  out  of  them. 
He  would  "  play  the  man." 

Playing  the  man  means  "  sticking  in."  It  means 
facing  up  to  our  tasks  cheerfully.  It  means  meeting 
disappointments  and  disagreeable  things  without 
whining.  It  means  persevering  when  we  are  like  to  be 
beaten.  It  means  grappling  with  our  difficulties  tiU 
we  overcome  them.  It  means  independence  —  not 
following  the  crowd,  if  the  crowd  are  wrong. 

You  are  going  to  grow  up  one  of  these  days.  Are 
you  going  to  be  men,  or  are  you  going  to  be  puppets 
whom  anyone  can  move  if  they  pull  the  right  string  ? 
You  are  determining  that  now.  There  are  some  boys 
who  would  fight  you  if  you  destroyed  their  cricket  bat 
or  broke  their  best  knife,  but  who  would  sit  down  calmly 
and  let  another  boy  destroy  what  is  far  more  precious 
— their  moral  well-being — without  lifting  a  finger  to 
interfere. 

Boys,  God  wants  men.  He  is  badly  in  need  of  them 
in  this  world.  He  wants  men  and  He  makes  men. 
The  best  Man  who  ever  lived  was  also  the  greatest 
Hero.  He  overcame  the  beast,  He  suffered  poverty 
and  hardship  uncomplainingly.  He  went  unflinchingly 
to  a  cruel  death  from  which  His  whole  flesh  shrank, 
He  bore  a  burden  which  bowed  Him  to  the  very  dust 
and  broke  Hjb  heart 


118  PLAYING  THE  MAN 

Most  of  you  have  got  your  heroes  whom  you  admire 
and  secretly  try  to  imitate.  Don't  forget  to  include 
in  the  list  the  greatest  Hero  of  all ;  and  if  you  strive 
to  imitate  Him  you  will  also  become  a  hero,  or — what 
is  even  greater  than  a  hero — a  man. 


ABSALOM. 

In  all  Israel  there  was  none  to  be  so  much  praised  as  Absalom 
for  his  beauty :  from  the  sole  of  his  foot  even  to  the  crown  of  his 
head  there  was  no  blemish  in  him. — 2  Sam.  xiv.  25. 

To-day  we  are  going  to  talk  about  someone  who  was 
a  prince — we  are  none  of  us  that !  Someone  who  was 
splendidly  and  perfectly  beautiful,  are — any  of  us 
that?  Someone  who  had  a  particularly  charming 
manner — and  most  of  us  would  be  none  the  worse  of 
that!  Someone  who  was  utterly  spoiled — of  course 
none  of  us  are  that !  Someone  who  was  vainer  than 
a  peacock — equally  of  course  none  of  us  are  that ! 

Have  you  guessed  the  name  of  this  someone  who 
was  so  like — I  beg  your  pardon,  unlike — ourselves? 
If  I  give  you  two  more  hints,  perhaps  you  will  be  able 
to  tell  me  his  name.  First,  he  was  famous  for  his 
beautiful  hair ;  second,  his  name  began  with  an  "  A." 
Yes.     It  was  Prince  Absalom. 

The  story  of  Absalom  makes  one  feel  sad,  for  he 
could  have  been  such  a  splendid  success,  and  all  he 
succeeded  in  being  was  a  miserable  failure.  You 
remember  he  was  not  only  the  son  of  a  king,  but  he 
was  the  son  of  a  king's  daughter,  and  he  was  the 
heir  to  the  throne  of  Israfd.  He  was  brave  and  fear- 
less too,  and  his  handsome  face  and  winning  manners 

119 


120  ABSALOM 

made  him  the  idol  of  the  court.     To  see  him  was  to 
admire  him. 

But  Absalom  had  one  great  fault,  and  it  was  just 
the  fault  you  would  have  expected  such  a  young  man 
to  have — he  was  full  of  conceit.  By  and  by  this 
vanity  grew  so  great  that  it  choked  out  all  his  virtues 
as  a  strong  weed  chokes  out  tender  flowers.  By  and 
by  it,  this  same  vanity,  led  even  to  his  death. 

Absalom  was  not  altogether  to  blame  for  his  conceit. 
His  father  David  was  partly  responsible.  For  David 
had  never  found  fault  with  the  boy.  David  had 
petted  him  and  spoiled  him  and  given  him  everything 
he  wanted,  except  the  one  thing  he  most  required — a 
touch  of  the  birch-rod. 

And  so  Absalom,  this  petted  child  of  fortune,  this 
darling  of  the  people,  grew  up  to  bring  nothing  but 
sorrow  to  his  father's  heart.  First  he  slew  his  own 
brother.  Then  he  plotted  to  seize  his  father's  crown. 
He  was  not  content  with  being  heir  to  the  throne,  he 
wanted  to  fill  it  immediately,  partly  because  his  vanity 
told  him  he  would  fill  it  extremely  well,  partly  be- 
cause his  vanity  was  hurt  at  his  father's  having 
banished  him  from  court  for  a  few  years  as  a 
punishment  for  having  slain  his  brother. 

He  set  about  the  matter  in  a  very  clever  and 
cunning  fashion.  He  flattered  the  foolish  people  till 
he  had  won  them  over  to  his  side.  Then  he  seized 
Jerusalem  and  his  poor  old  father  had  to  flee  from  the 
city  with  the  few  who  were  faithful  to  him. 

Absalom  was  very  near  indeed  to  the  throne  that 


2  SAMUEL  XIV.  25  121 

day  he  entered  Jerusalem,  but  he  lost  the  throne  and 
his  life  as  well — all  because  of  his  vanity.  He  held 
a  council  of  his  followers  as  to  what  his  next  step 
should  be.  One  man,  named  Ahithophel,  advised  that 
Absalom  should  let  him  and  a  picked  number  of  men 
go  at  once  in  pursuit  of  the  king,  that  they  might  slay 
him  while  he  was  weak  and  weary  with  the  flight,  and 
before  he  had  time  to  gather  round  him  sufficient  men 
to  oppose  his  son.  But  another  man,  Hushai,  who  was 
really  David's  friend,  and  who  knew  Absalom's  weak 
point,  advised  Absalom  to  wait  till  he  had  gathered 
together  all  his  admirers  and  followers  in  Israel. 
Hushai  told  Absalom  how  magnificent  he  would  look 
at  the  head  of  that  great  multitude  and  what  a 
splendid  show  it  would  be.  And  Absalom  could  not 
resist  such  an  idea  as  that.     He  took  Hushai's  advice. 

Then,  of  course,  while  Absalom  was  taking  time  to 
gather  together  all  these  followers,  David  had  time  to 
collect  his  men,  and  he  also  had  time  to  choose  the 
ground  where  the  battle  should  be. 

It  took  place  in  a  wooded  country  and  the  story 
says  that  the  wood  "devoured  more  people  that  day 
than  the  sword,"  for  Absalom's  men  were  accustomed 
to  fight  in  the  bare  open  country,  and  David's  followers 
knew  the  woods.  Absalom's  men  got  lost  and  be- 
wildered among  the  trees,  and  they  fell  down  the 
crevices  between  the  rocks,  crevices  which  were  filled 
with  brushwood  and  shrubs.  They  were  altogether 
beaten,  and  Absalom  himself  fled  on  one  of  the  royal 
mules.     He  fled  in  haste  through  a  part  of  the  wood, 


122  ABSALOM 

and  there  a  terrible  thing  happened.  Perhaps  he  was 
looking  over  his  shoulder  to  see  if  his  pursuers  were 
gaining  on  him,  at  any  rate  he  did  not  notice  where  he 
was  going,  and  he  caught  his  head  in  the  branch  of  an 
oak.  His  mule  sped  from  under  him,  and  there  he 
was  left  hanging  between  heaven  and  earth.  Some 
people  think  that  his  long  hair  became  entangled  in 
the  branches,  and  that  the  more  he  struggled  to  free 
himself  the  more  he  became  imprisoned. 

And  as  he  was  hanging  there  helpless,  a  certain 
man,  perhaps  one  of  those  from  whom  the  prince  was 
fleeing,  saw  him  and  ran  and  told  Joab,  one  of  the 
three  generals  on  David's  side.  And  Joab,  although 
David  had  given  him  and  his  brother  generals  strict 
orders  to  spare  Absalom's  life,  said  to  himself,  "  Here's 
a  chance  to  get  rid  of  a  traitor  and  a  troubler  of  the 
peace!"  And  he  went  to  the  tree  and  stabbed 
Absalom  as  he  hung  there.  Then  ten  of  his  men-at- 
arms  finished  the  horrible  job.  They  hacked  Absalom 
with  their  swords,  and  cast  his  body  into  a  pit  over 
which  they  piled  a  heap  of  stones.  It  was  adding 
insult  to  injury,  for  that  was  a  burial  which  the 
Hebrews  thought  specially  insulting.  Everyone  who 
passed  that  way  was  supposed  to  add  a  stone  to  the 
heap.  It  was  as  if  they  cast  a  stone  at  the  evil-doer 
himself. 

And  perhaps  the  saddest  pait  of  it  all  was  that  no 
one  really  mourned  for  Absalom  except  the  poor  old 
father  whom  he  had  tried  to  kill.  Vain  people  may 
have  followers,  they  may  have  plenty  who  are  ready 


2  SAMUEL  XIV.   25  123 

to  toady  to  them  and  feed  their  vanity  if  they  have 
a  high  position,  but  they  have  no  real  friends.  How 
can  they  ?  When  the  heart  of  a  man  or  woman,  boy 
or  girl,  is  entirely  taken  up  with  self  how  can  he  or 
she  expect  to  have  a  friend  ?  To  have  a  friend  you 
must  have  room  in  your  heart  for  him. 

Now,  I  think  the  story  of  Absalom  needs  nothing 
added  to  it  It  is  a  sermon  in  itself.  But  I  should 
just  like  to  say  this.  If,  boys  and  girls,  you  are  ever 
tempted  to  be  conceited  about  your  person,  or  your 
possessions,  or  your  brains,  or  anything  that  belongs 
to  you,  say  to  yourself  two  things.  The  first  is, 
"  Eemember  Absalom  ! "  The  second  is,  "  Kemember 
Christ!" 

Christ  also  was  the  Son  of  a  King.  And  all  the 
Universe  was  His.  Yet  He  came  to  earth  a  humble 
carpenter.  And  ever  as  He  walked  this  earth  He 
said  over  and  over  again,  both  in  words  and  in  deeds, 
that  the  greatest  man  is  not  the  man  who  thinks 
himself  great,  but  the  man  who  is  ready  to  be  servant 
of  all,  not  the  man  who  is  proud  and  haughty  in  spirit, 
but  the  man  who  is  humble  and  lowly  of  heart. 

Absalom  or  Christ !  —  Which  will  you  follow  ? 
Which  will  you  take  for  your  model  and  your  hero  ? 


ACTING  FERRY-BOAT. 

There  went  over  a  ferry-boat  to  bring  over  the  king's  house- 
hold.—2  Sam.  xix.  18. 

Our  text  this  morning  is  something  which  is  mentioned 
only  once  in  the  Bible — a  ferry-boat.  This  ferry-boat 
comes  into  one  of  the  stories  about  King  David.  At 
the  time  of  the  story  David  was  an  old  man  and  he  had 
just  been  passing  through  a  very  trying  experience.  His 
son  Absalom  had  plotted  against  him.  He  had  tried 
to  get  himself  made  king  in  his  father's  stead.  The 
plot  had  so  far  succeeded  that  David  had  had  to  flee 
from  Jerusalem  with  his  household  and  those  who  were 
faithful  to  him.  He  had  crossed  the  Jordan,  and 
there  his  men  and  Absalom's  men  had  fought  a  fierce 
battle  in  which  Absalom  was  slain  and  his  followers 
were  defeated. 

But  King  David  had  not  hurried  back  to  Jerusalem 
to  punish  the  rebels.  He  had  waited  on  the  other 
side  of  Jordan  till  his  people  repented  and  sent  him  a 
message  entreating  him  to  return  to  rule  over  them. 
Then  it  was  that,  when  David  reached  the  river  Jordan 
on  his  return  journey,  he  found  waiting  to  welcome 
him  the  leading  men  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  also  a  man 
called  Ziba  who  had  been  a  servant  of  King  Saul. 
This  man  had  with  him  his  fifteen  sons  and   twenty 

124 


2  SAMUEL  XIX.   18  125 

servants,  and  the  story  says  that  they  went  through 
Jordan — that  is,  forded  the  river — to  meet  the  king, 
and  that  "there  went  over"  also  "a  ferry-boat  to 
bring  over  the  king's  household " — the  women  and 
children  who  had  gone  with  him  into  exile. 

Now  great  scholars  who  have  studied  the  Hebrew 
language,  in  which  this  story  was  first  written,  tell  us 
that  they  are  not  quite  sure  that  the  word  translated 
"ferry-boat"  means  a  ferry-boat.  They  say  that 
"  ferry-boat  "  may  mean  '*  ford  "  and  that  we  should 
read  that  Ziba  and  his  fifteen  sons  and  his  twenty 
servants  dashed  through  Jordan  in  the  presence  of 
the  king,  and  kept  crossing  and  recrossing  the  ford  to 
carry  over  the  king's  household. 

But,  after  all,  the  change  does  not  make  much 
difference  to  the  story,  for,  if  Ziba  and  his  sons  and 
servants  carried  over  the  women  and  children  belonor- 
ing  to  the  king,  what  were  they  but  human  ferry- 
boats ?  They  took  passengers  safely  across  the  river, 
and  if  that  is  not  what  a  ferry-boat  is  for,  tell  me  what 
you  think  it  is  for. 

As  it  happens,  I  hope  the  text  does  refer  to  human 
ferry-boats,  for  that  is  what  I  want  to  ask  you  to 
be  to-day — human  ferry-boats.  There  are  all  kinds 
of  ferry-boats,  as  you  know.  There  are  those  which 
are  rowed  with  oars;  there  are  those  like  a  punt 
which  are  worked  by  a  pole ;  there  are  those  which 
are  pulled  across  with  the  aid  of  an  overhead  wire; 
and  there  are  those  which  have  sails.  There  are  also 
the  funny  little  paddle  steamers  which  ferry  you  across 


126  ACTING  FERRY-BOAT 

the  larger  rivers,  and  the  fine  big  steam  boats  which 
take  you  over  an  estuary  Hke  the  Mersey.  But 
nature's  ferry-boat,  and  the  earliest  ferry-boat  known, 
is  just  some  strong  kind  pt-rson  who  carries  a  weaker 
or  smaller  person  across  a  river. 

But,  you  say,  how  am  I  to  act  as  a  human  ferry- 
boat ?  To  begin  with  there  is  no  river  near  my  home, 
or,  if  there  is,  it  is  too  wide  and  deep  to  ford,  and  I  am 
too  small  to  carry  anybody  across. 

Well,  you  see,  I  was  talking  in  parables.  I  did  not 
mean  a  real  live  river ;  I  meant  the  rivers  which  we 
all  have  to  cross  in  life,  the  things  that  we  have  to  get 
to  the  other  side  of  somehow — things  that  we  feel  it  is 
impossible  for  us  to  get  over.  They  are  the  difficulties 
and  dangers  which  we  come  to  sooner  or  later  in 
the  journey  of  life.  It  is  well  for  us  if,  when  we 
do  come  to  them,  we  meet  there  a  kind  human 
ferry-boat  to  help  us  over  and  land  us  safely  on  the 
other  side. 

I  think  that  I  don't  need  to  explain  the  difficulties 
to  you.  They  begin  when  we  are  very  small  indeed. 
They  begin  with  things  such  as  grammar  we  can't 
understand  and  sums  that  won't  come  out  right ;  and 
as  we  grow  older  they  go  on  to  bigger  things  such  as 
business  worries  and  household  cares.  For  all  of  them 
there  is  no  better  aid  than  the  helping  hand  of  a  friend, 
a  kind  human  ferry-boat. 

The  dangers  are  not  so  easy  to  describe  or  so  easy  to 
get  over  as  the  difficulties.  Let  us  see  if  a  story  will 
help.     There  is  a  tale  told  of  a  famous  Swiss  scientist 


2  SAMUEL  XIX.   18  127 

called  Louie  Agassiz.  When  he  was  a  boy  he  lived  on 
the  border  of  one  of  the  beautiful  Swiss  lakes,  and  this 
lake  used  to  freeze  over  in  winter.  Louis  had  a  small 
brother  much  younger  than  himself,  and  he  and  his 
brother  set  off  one  day  across  the  frozen  lake  to  meet 
their  father.  Their  mother  was  watching  the  two 
boys  from  the  window,  and  to  her  horror  she  noticed 
that  they  had  come  to  a  crack  in  the  ice.  It  was  not 
wide — only  about  a  foot  or  so — and  the  ice  on  each 
side  of  it  was  quite  thick,  but  the  mother  was  afraid 
that  the  little  fellow  would  try  to  step  across,  would 
miss  his  footing,  and  plunge  into  the  dark  waters 
beneath. 

But  she  need  not  have  feared.  When  the  boys 
reached  the  crack,  what  do  you  think  happened  ? 
Louis  got  down  on  the  ice  on  his  hands  and  knees. 
He  stretched  himself  cautiously  across  the  crack,  and 
his  little  brother  walked  safely  over  on  a  human 
bridge. 

Children,  there  are  places  in  life  more  dangerous 
than  the  Jordan  river,  more  dangerous  than  the  ice 
crack  on  the  Swiss  lake.  When  you  see  anyone  doing 
what  is  dishonourable,  or  mean,  or  cowardly,  or  cruel, 
he  is  in  one  of  those  dangerous  places ;  and  he  needs 
your  help  even  more  than  if  he  were  merely  in  diffi- 
culties. Are  you  going  to  turn  your  back  on  him, 
then,  and  let  him  drown  ?  Or  are  you  going  to  do  your 
very  utmost,  the  very  best  you  know,  to  get  him  out 
of  that  danger  ?  Are  you  going  to  be  content  only 
when  you  see  him  safe  on  the  other  side  ? 


128  ACTING  FERRY-BOAT 

If  you  want  a  good  reason  why  you  should  act 
ferry-boat,  here  it  is.  Christ  went  about  acting  ferry- 
boat all  His  days  on  earth.  He  was  ever  helping 
people  out  of  difficulties,  out  of  dangers.  He  was  ever 
doing  good. 


THE  GREATNESS  OF  GENTLENESS. 

Thy  gentleness  hath  made  me  great.— 2  Sam.  xxii.  36. 

Don't  you  think  this  is  rather  a  queer  text  ?  You 
would  not  have  been  surprised  if  David  had  said, 
"  Thy  strength  hath  made  me  great "  or  "  Thy  power 
hath  made  me  great " ;  but  when  he  says,  "  Thy  gentle- 
ness hath  made  me  great,"  you  think  he  must  somehow 
have  got  hold  of  things  by  the  wrong  end. 

Well,  if  you  look  at  the  first  verse  of  this  chapter 
you  will  see  that  David  sang  this  psalm,  "  in  the  day 
that  the  Lord  delivered  him  out  of  the  hand  of  all  his 
enemies,  and  out  of  the  hand  of  Saul."  He  was  looking 
back  on  the  difficult  and  dangerous  times  through 
which  he  had  come  ;  and  he  saw  that  it  was  God's  care 
for  him,  the  kind  and  loving  way  He  had  led  him,  that 
had  made  him  the  great  man  he  was.  Perhaps  when 
he  reached  this  verse  in  his  song,  David  remembered 
the  time  when  he  had  been  a  shepherd  boy.  Perhaps 
he  was  thinking  of  some  little  tired  lamb  that  he 
had  carried  over  the  rough  mountain-path,  and  he 
thought,  "  That  is  just  the  way  God  stooped  down  to 
me  in  my  need,  and  lifted  me  up,  and  made  me  great 
and  strong  by  His  gentleness." 

Now  it  is  a  little  difficult  for  us  to  understand  how 


130     THE  GREATNESS  OF  GENTLENESS 

great  a  power  gentleness  is,  so  I  want  you  to  think 
about  it  for  a  little  while  to-day. 

1.  And  we  are  going  first  to  Mother  Nature  to  see 
what  she  has  to  say  about  it.  What  do  you  think  is 
the  most  powerful  thing  in  Nature  ?  Perhaps  some  of 
you  will  say  an  earthquake.  An  earthquake  is 
certainly  a  very  powerful  thing,  but  what  does  it  do  ? 
It  makes  great  rents  in  the  earth's  surface,  it  knocks 
down  houses  and  destroys  life.  But  can  it  build  up 
the  houses  it  has  knocked  down,  can  it  give  back  the 
life  it  has  destroyed  ?  Not  once.  Then  lightning 
seems  a  very  powerful  thing,  and  so  it  is.  But  what 
does  it  do  ?  It  blasts  great  trees,  but  it  cannot  give 
them  life.  And  a  hurricane  is  a  very  strong  thing.  It 
tears  up  plants  by  the  root,  it  knocks  down  trees  and 
flies  off  with  our  slates  and  our  chimney  pots,  but  it 
cannot  make  one  tiny  wild- flower  grow. 

Now  do  you  think  it  is  greater  to  make  things  or  to 
destroy  them  ?  Surely  it  is  greater  to  make  them.  It 
is  easy  to  tear  a  book  into  shreds,  but  it  is  not  so  easy 
to  write  another  book.  We  could  all  destroy  a  toy  or  a 
doll,  but  how  many  of  us  could  make  one  ?  And  what 
is  it  that  makes  the  flowers  grow  ?  The  soft,  warm 
rays  of  the  sun,  the  gentle  rain,  the  silent  help  of  the 
soil  underground.  These  are  the  most  powerful  things 
in  Nature. 

Perhaps  it  is  because  gentle  things  don't  make  a  noise 
that  we  forget  how  great  they  are.  Few  things  are  greater 
and  quieter  than  the  growing  of  flowers  and  of  boys  and 
girls,  the  ripening  of  corn,  or  the  coming  of  the  dawn. 


2  SAMUEL  XXII.  36  131 

2.  And  just  as  gentleness  is  the  greatest  power  in 
Nature,  I  think  it  is  the  greatest  power  in  people 
too.  If  a  friend  flies  into  a  rage  with  you,  you  will 
accomplish  more  by  keeping  calm  and  giving  a  gentle 
answer  than  by  flying  into  a  rage  too. 

Once  upon  a  time  a  man  arrived  in  a  town  with  a 
monkey  and  a  barrel-organ.  The  monkey  wore  a  little 
red  coat  and  a  little  red  cap.  He  sat  on  the  organ 
while  the  man  played  a  tune,  and  afterwards  he  per- 
formed some  tricks.  One  day  a  little  dog  came  rushing 
out  of  one  of  the  houses  and  flew  at  the  monkey, 
barking  and  making  a  terrible  noise.  The  monkey 
waited  till  the  dog  came  quite  near ;  then  he  took  off 
his  little  red  cap  and  made  him  a  very  polite  bow. 
You  should  have  seen  that  dog.  He  was  so  astonished 
and  so  ashamed  that  he  just  dropped  his  tail  and 
sneaked  off  into  the  house  without  uttering  another 
bark. 

You  will  find  that  people  will  do  much  more  for  you 
if  you  are  polite  and  gentle  than  if  you  are  rough  and 
rude.  "  Please  "  and  *'  thank  you,"  will  always  accom- 
plish much  more  than  grabbing. 

Don't  imagine  that  gentleness  is  a  sign  of  "  softness." 
It  is  a  sign  of  strength.  We  can  all  be  rough  and 
cruel  if  we  like,  but  it  takes  a  strong,  brave  man  to 
control  a  temper,  and  be  kind  to  little  helpless  things. 

There  is  a  story  told  of  General  Lee  who  was  the 
leading  general  on  the  Southern  side  in  the  American 
Civil  War.  One  morning  he  was  standing  with  some 
officers  under  a  tree  on  a  battlefield.    A  shell  burst 


132     THE  GREATNESS  OF  GENTLENESS 

near  them,  and  the  general  said  he  thought  they  had 
better  retire  as  the  enemy  had  evidently  got  their 
range.  Nobody  moved  till  the  commander  should 
move,  and  the  next  shell  crashed  into  the  top  of  the 
tree.  Then  the  officers  took  their  leader's  advice  and 
began  to  retreat;  but  when  they  looked  round  the 
general  was  still  under  the  tree.  The  shell  had 
knocked  down  a  bird's  nest  and  he  had  stopped  to  pick 
it  up  and  put  it  carefully  on  one  of  the  lower  branches. 
Although  he  was  a  great  general  he  was  not  ashamed 
to  take  care  of  a  little  helpless  bird. 

3.  And  now  we  come  back  to  the  place  where  we 
began.  It  is  God's  gentleness,  not  the  thought  of  His 
majesty  or  power,  that  makes  us  great.  It  is  His  love 
that  draws  us. 

There  is  a  legend  of  a  knight  who  did  not  believe  in 
Grod  and  who  was  always  boasting  oi  his  unbelief  and 
laughing  and  sneering  at  those  who  did  believe.  One 
day  in  a  bragging  mood  he  threw  down  his  gauntlet, 
as  knights  used  to  do  when  they  challenged  each  other 
to  fight.  And  he  said,  "  If  there  be  a  God,  I  challenge 
Him  to  come  down  and  meet  me  in  mortal  combat." 
And  while  the  people  waited  trembling,  expecting  to 
see  a  lightning  flash  strike  the  bold,  proud  knight  to 
the  ground,  there  came  down  from  heaven  a  scroll  of 
parchment  on  which  were  written  these  words,  "  God 
is  love."  That  message  broke  down  all  the  knight's 
pride  and  unbelief,  and  he  was  ever  after  the  humble 
and  loving  servant  of  God. 

God  knows  how  foolish  we  are,  and  how  far  we  can 


2  SAMUEL  XXII.  36  133 

wander,  and  how  much  we  can  hurt  ourselves;  and 
He  just  wants  to  put  His  arms  round  us  and  wrap  us 
in  His  love,  safe  from  all  harm.  He  stoops  down  and 
takes  us — poor,  silly  children,  and  He  lifts  us  up  and 
makes  us  strong,  and  wise,  and  tender.  His  gentleness 
makes  ue  great. 


JEWELS  IN  THE  MUD. 

The  mire  of  the  streets. — 2  Sam.  xxii.  43. 

MiEE  or  mud  from  the  streets !  It  doesn't  sound  as  if 
it  were  of  much  value,  does  it  ?  Except  of  course  for 
the  delightful  business  of  making  aiud  pies !  But  listen 
to  what  a  famous  writer  and  artist,  called  Kuskin,  once 
said  about  it.  He  said  that  if  you  took  an  ounce  or 
two  of  ordinary  black  slime  from  the  footpath  and  had 
it  analysed — that  is,  separated  up  into  the  different 
things  of  which  it  is  composed — you  would  find  that  it 
was  made  up  of  four  things — clay,  sand,  soot,  and 
water. 

Then,  said  Kuskin,  suppose  each  of  these  were 
allowed  to  gather  itself  together  and  get  its  atoms  into 
closest  possible  relation,  what  would  happen  ?  Well, 
the  clay  would  turn  into  a  fine  white  earth,  which, 
baked  in  an  oven,  would  become  finest  porcelain;  or 
better  still,  left  to  itself,  it  would  gradually  grow  hard 
and  clear  and  able  to  gather  out  of  light  only  the  blue 
rays,  and  you  would  find  instead  of  a  morsel  of  clay 
a  lovely  blue  sapphire.  If  the  sand  behaved  in  much 
the  same  fashion  it  would  turn  into  a  rainbow-hued 
opal.  The  soot,  too,  acting  on  the  same  principle,  but 
trying  even  harder  to  grow  hard,  would  become  a 

134 


2  SAMUEL  XXII.  43  135 

flashing  diamond.  And  the  water  would  form  a 
sparkling  dew-drop,  or,  if  crystallized,  a  glistening  star 
of  snow. 

It  sounds  like  magic  to  think  of  a  sapphire,  an  opal, 
a  diamond,  and  a  dew-drop  all  lying  concealed  in  a 
dirty  blob  of  mud.  But  it  is  the  best  magic,  for  it  is 
true  magic ;  and  it  preaches  us  a  sermon. 

It  tells  us  not  only  that  things  may  be  much  better 
than  they  seem,  but  that  even  in  the  poorest  beggar 
there  may  be  the  soul  of  a  great  man.  Not  so  very 
long  ago  a  very  poor-looking  man  used  to  sell  news- 
papers and  matches  at  a  London  street  corner.  Little 
did  the  passers-by  think  that  they  were  paying  their 
pennies  to  one  of  the  greatest  of  poets,  Francis 
Thompson. 

But  the  mud  that  most  people  know  best  is  a  very 
commonplace  sort  of  thing,  especially  when  it  comes 
to  be  the  month  of  November.  They  never  think  of 
jewels  in  connection  with  it.  Indeed  they  often  say 
that  they  just  hate  it.  It  dirties  their  boots,  and  it 
splashes  their  skirts,  and  it  makes  their  feet  wet  and 
uncomfortable. 

Yet  I  have  known  people  who  thought  mud  was 
something  to  be  thankful  for.  "  Tak'  me  in  among  the 
dubs,  they're  soft  and  kindly;  the  hard  road  hurts 
me ! "  said  an  old  Scotswoman  to  her  daughter  who 
was  wheehng  her  in  a  bath-chair. 

And  there  are  other  people  who  have  found  mud 
extremely  useful,  in  fact  they  could  not  well  do  without 
it     There  are  towns  in  many  parts  of  the  world  in 


136  JEWELS  IN  THE  MUD 

which  the  houses  are  built  almost  entirely  of  mud,  and 
very  warm  and  happy  homes  they  are.  At  one  of  her 
mission  stations  in  Africa,  Mary  Slessor  had  not  only 
mud  mission  buildings,  but  her  own  little  dwelling- 
house  was  an  erection  of  wattle  and  mud.  Much  of 
her  furniture  too  was  made  from  mud ;  she  had  a  mud 
sofa  where  she  rested,  and  a  mud  seat  near  the  fireplace, 
where  the  person  who  cooked  for  her  could  sit.  And 
who  does  not  know  the  wonderful  little  one-roomed 
houses  that  we  should  never  see  but  for  the  mud? 
Where  would  the  swallow  be  without  the  wherewithal 
to  build  them  ? 

But  mud  can  be  something  else  than  kindly  and 
useful  You  have  heard  how  the  mud  of  Flanders 
made  our  soldier  lads  suffer.  If  Kuskin  were  alive  and 
had  walked  through  one  of  their  trenches  I  doubt  if  he 
would  have  thought  of  it  as  "  jingling  with  jewels,"  for 
he  hated  ugly  things.  But  I  read  these  two  lines 
somewhere  just  the  other  day — 

Two  women  looked  through  their  prison  bars; 
The  one  saw  mud,  the  other  saw  stars. 

And  it  may  have  been  left  to  the  "  Tommies "  of  the 
Great  War  to  find  jewels  among  the  terrible  mud  of  the 
trenches. 

What  sort  of  jewels  came  within  their  reach,  do  you 
think  ?  Not  the  sapphire,  or  the  opal,  or  the  diamond, 
but  the  jewels  which  are,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  great 
price.  Patience  and  courage — you  can  understand 
how  wonderful    specimens   of    these   were    found   in 


2  SAMUEL  XXII.  43  137 

Flanders.     Love  was  there  too — love  of  home,  love  of 
country,  love  of  comrade. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  sorrow 
In  tiiis  world  of  love  and  hate. 

But  there  is  no  sterner  sorrow 
Than  a  soldier  for  his  mate. 

What  do  yon  find  in  the  mud  ?  What  do  you  find 
in  the  drab  disagreeable  duties  or  the  tiresome  lessons 
of  every  day  ?  Do  you  find  nothing  but  a  feeling  that 
makes  you  want  to  say  "  Ugh ! "  Your  fathers  and 
mothers  know,  and  they  could  tell  you,  that  there  is 
a  meaning  in  having  to  wade  through  mud  It  makes 
men  and  women  brave  and  patient  and  strong.  So 
don't  complain  and  say  "  Ugh  I "  too  often.  Kemember 
that  in  the  mud  there  is  more  than  a  mere  Ghaiioe  of 
finding  jewds. 


A  MORNING  WITHOUT  CLOUDS. 

A  morning  without  clouds. — 2  Sam.  xxiii.  4. 

Our  text  is  taken  from  the  last  song  that  King  David 
wrote.  He  was  looking  forward  to  the  time  when 
Jesus  would  come  to  reign  on  the  earth,  and  he  said 
that  His  rule  would  be  like  "  a  morning  without  clouds  " 
— Jesus  would  be  like  the  morning  sun  lighting  up  all 
the  sky,  and  bringing  gladness  and  light  where  before 
there  was  sadness  and  darkness. 

But  I  want  you  to  take  the  words  in  a  different 
sense  this  morning — I  want  you  to  take  them  as  your 
very  own  text ;  for  life  is  like  a  day  from  sunrise  to 
sunset,  and  you  are  in  "  the  morning  of  life."  And  the 
best  thing  I  could  wish  for  you  is  that  it  may  be  "  a 
morning  without  clouds." 

Have  you  ever  risen  early  on  a  fine  spring  morning 
in  the  country  ?  As  the  dawn  breaks  the  little  birds 
burst  into  song.  Then  the  sun  rises  and  floods  the 
world  with  gladness.  The  earth  is  refreshed  with  her 
sleep  and  the  air  is  pure  and  sweet.  There  is  some- 
thing abroad  that  makes  you  feel  as  if  you  could  dance 
and  sing  with  joy. 

The  three  things  that  strike  you  about  such  a  morn- 
ing are  its  purity,  its  beauty,  and  its  gladness.    And 

138 


2  SAMUEL  XXIII.  4  139 

those  are  just  the  three  things  that  the  morning  of  life 
should  be — pure,  and  beautiful,  and  glad. 

1.  First  of  all,  the  morning  of  life  should  be  pure. 
It  is  sin  that  darkens  our  sky  and  makes  things  gloomy. 
You  have  sometimes  seen  a  beautiful,  bright  morning 
quickly  clouded  over ;  and  many  a  morning  of  life  that 
has  promised  brightly  has  been  darkened  ere  long  with 
the  black  thunder-clouds  of  sin. 

Now  it  is  not  easy  to  keep  pure,  for  even  in  life's 
morning  the  clouds  of  wicked  thoughts  and  evil  tempers 
and  bad  desires  are  ready  to  rise  on  our  horizon.  As  yet 
they  are  tiny  little  cloudlets,  but  the  only  way  to  keep 
them  from  rising  up  and  shadowing  our  life  is  to  let 
Jesus,  the  Sun  of  Eighteousness,  shine  into  our  hearts. 
He  alone  can  keep  those  clouds  away  so  that  all  our 
day  may  be  bright,  and  that  at  evening  time  there 
may  be  light 

God  has  given  you  each  a  life,  pure  and  fresh  from 
Him.  Some  older  people  would  give  all  they  possess 
just  to  be  standing  where  you  stand  full  in  the  morning 
sunlight.  Oh,  boys  and  girls,  realize  the  value  of  your 
gift  before  it  is  too  late !  Never  stoop  to  anything 
that  is  mean,  or  base,  or  dishonourable.  Ask  God 
always  to  keep  your  souls  like  a  pure,  fresh,  cloudless 
morning. 

2.  Secondly,  the  morning  of  life  should  be  heauti/ul. 
It  is  said  that  if  you  want  to  see  the  Alps  at  their  best 
you  must  rise  at  four  in  the  morning.  Then  the 
glorious  snow-crowned  peaks  shine  out  in  all  their 


140      A  MORNING  WITHOUT  CLOUDS 

grandeur,  free  from  the  mists  that  often  shroud  them 
later.  What  makes  the  morning  so  beautiful  ?  It  is 
the  light  of  the  sun — the  dawn  after  darkness. 

Our  morning  of  life  should  be  beautiful  too,  but  it 
will  be  truly  beautiful  only  if  the  Sun  of  Kighteousness 
shines  in  our  hearts.  He  will  make  all  the  graces 
grow — the  graces  of  love,  and  unselfishness,  and 
kindness. 

In  a  school  in  one  of  our  great  cities  there  was  an 
annual  flower  show,  at  which  prizes  were  awarded. 
And  in  the  slums  of  this  same  great  city  lived  a  little 
cripple  girl  to  whom  someone  had  given  a  small 
geranium.  Day  by  day  she  watched  and  tended  her 
plant,  and  day  by  day  the  plant  grew  more  beautiful. 
And  when  the  day  of  the  flower  show  came,  the  little 
cripple's  geranium  easily  carried  off  the  prize.  When 
the  judges  asked  her  the  secret  of  its  beauty  she  told 
them  that  she  had  always  kept  it  in  the  sun's  rays, 
moving  it  as  the  sun  travelled  on. 

It  is  the  sun  that  gives  beauty  and  strength  to  the 
flowers,  and  it  is  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  who  gives 
beauty  and  strength  to  our  lives. 

3.  Lastly,  the  "  morning  of  life  "  should  be  glad. 

When  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  was  a  small  boy  he 
was  very  delicate.  Sometimes  he  was  kept  in  the 
house  all  winter,  and  many  were  the  weary  sleepless 
nights  that  he  spent  longing  for  the  dawn.  For  the 
boy  had  a  great  horror  of  the  dark,  and  conjured  up 
all  sorts  of  imaginary  terrors.  He  always  looked 
forward  to  the  time  when  the  carts  came  in,  for  he 


2  SAMUEL  XXIII.  4  141 

knew  that  when  they  rattled  past  the  daybreak  was 
not  far  away,  and  that  in  an  hour  or  two  the  light 
would  stream  through  the  blind.  Oh,  the  gladness  of 
the  morning  after  the  long  dark  night ! 

And  childhood  is  the  glad  time  of  life,  bright  and 
free  from  care.  Be  happy,  boys  and  girls,  just  as  happy 
as  ever  you  can.  But  I  want  to  tell  you  one  thing — 
a  very  sure  thing.  Your  morning  will  never  be  truly 
happy  unless  Christ  has  some  part  in  it.  For  the  same 
thing  makes  life  glad  that  makes  it  pure  and  beautiful — 
Jesus  Himself,  the  Sun  of  Kighteousness,  shining  in  our 
hearts. 

There  is  just  one  thing  more  I  want  to  say — share 
your  gladness.  You  have  strong  bodies  and  happy 
homes,  but  there  are  other  children  whose  morning  is 
clouded — clouded  by  sickness,  or  want,  or  ignorance. 
There  are  suffering  children  in  our  hospitals,  there  are 
starving  children  in  our  slums,  there  are  heathen 
children  in  far  countries  who  have  never  heard  of 
Jesus. 

Now  I  think  the  grown-up  people  should  look  after 
the  grown-ups  who  are  in  trouble,  and  I  think  the 
children  should  look  after  the  children.  And  the  best 
way  to  show  our  thankfulness  for  being  so  happy  our- 
selves is  to  try  to  make  others  happy.  Let  us  give 
our  pennies,  and  our  toys,  and  our  prayers,  and  our 
time,  to  help  some  of  the  children  whose  moming  is 
not  "  a  momLQg  without  clouds." 


A   PRECIOUS  GIFT. 

He  would  not  drink  thereof,  but  poured  it  o«t  unto  the 
Lord.— 2  Sam.  xxiii.  i6. 

Lately  we  have  been  hearing  a  great  deal  about  the 
various  honours  which  have  been  given  to  the  brave 
men  who  fought  for  us  in  the  war.  We  are  very 
proud,  aren't  we  ?  if  we  can  say  that  (mr  father  or  our 
brother  or  one  of  our  best  friends  has  got  the  D.C.M.  or 
the  D.S.O.  or  the  M.C.  or — highest  of  all  honours — 
the  V.C. 

To-day  I  want  to  tell  you  of  three  brave  warriors  of 
old  who  had  the  D.S.O.  In  the  twenty-third  chapter 
of  second  Samuel  you  will  find  two  lists  of  those  who 
were  known  as  King  David's  "  mighty  men."  Three  of 
them  won  an  honour  equal  to  our  V.C.  and  thirty  of 
them  received  an  honour  equal  to  our  D.S.O.  The 
three  V.C.s  did  very  gallant  deeds,  but  it  is  not  of 
them  I  want  to  speak  to-day.  It  is  of  three  out  of  the 
thirty  D.S.O.s  I  want  to  talk. 

You  will  find  in  four  little  verses  of  this  chapter  the 
story  of  one  of  their  finest  deeds.  They  were  followers 
of  King  David  in  the  troubled  days  when  Saul  was 
still  alive  and  David  was  leading  the  life  of  a  hunted 
man.    We  are  told  the  names  of  two — Abishai  and 

142 


2  SAMUEL  XXIII.   16  143 

Benaiah — but  the  name  of  the  third  we  do  not 
know. 

At  the  time  of  the  story  David  was  at  his  favourite 
stronghold,  Adullam.  It  was  about  twelve  miles  from 
his  old  home  at  Bethlehem.  But  Bethlehem  was  now 
in  the  hands  of  the  Philistines,  Israel's  bitter  enemies, 
and  the  town  was  filled  with  a  Philistine  garrison, 
whilst  around  it  lay  their  outposts.  David  and  his 
men — four  hundred  or  so  in  number — were  not  strong 
enough  to  rid  the  town  of  the  enemy  but  they  did  their 
best  to  worry  and  harass  him  by  raids.  Perhaps  it 
was  on  his  return  from  a  raid  on  the  Philistine  hosts 
that  David  wished  the  wish  that  led  to  the  famous 
adventure  of  to-day's  sermon.  It  was  high  summer. 
The  weather  was  scorching.  The  mountain  torrents 
were  dried  up  and  water  was  scarcely  to  be  had.  Hot 
and  tired  and  thirsty,  David  sighed  aloud,  "  Oh  for  a 
drink  of  water  from  the  well  by  the  gate  of  Bethlehem ! " 

Perhaps  poor  David  was  as  much  home-sick  as 
thirsty  when  he  longed  for  that  drink.  Probably  he 
was  remembering  the  days  when  he  was  a  shepherd 
boy  watering  his  sheep  from  the  clear  spring  by  the 
gate.  He  thought  he  saw  himself  a  little  lad  quaffing 
long  draughts  of  its  cool  water,  and  he  sighed  as  much 
for  the  days  that  had  been  as  for  the  water  itself. 

I  don't  suppose  that  David  knew  he  had  spoken 
aloud,  but  three  of  his  soldiers  heard  the  wish  and  the 
sigh.  They  adored  their  splendid  young  leader,  and 
one  and  all  they  determined  then  and  there  that  they 
would  bring  him  a  drink  of  that  water  though  it  should 


144  A  PRECIOUS  GIFT 

cost  them  their  life.  So  they  slipped  away  quietly, 
fought  through  the  Philistine  lines,  filled  a  water  bottle 
at  the  well  by  the  gate,  and  fought  their  way  back 
again.  They  arrived  at  Adullam  no  doubt  spent  and 
wounded,  but  they  had  the  water  safe.  Imagine 
David's  astonishment  when  he  saw  them  and  heard 
what  they  had  done ! 

But  David  had  a  stronger  feeling  than  astonishment. 
Do  you  know  what  it  was  ?  It  was  a  feeling  that  the 
water  which  had  almost  cost  those  men  their  lives  was 
sacred.  To  drink  it,  he  felt,  would  be  as  if  he  were 
drinking  their  life-blood.  He  dared  not  drink  it.  It 
was  so  costly,  so  precious,  there  was  but  one  thing  to 
do  with  it.  There  was  but  one  Person  worthy  of  it, 
and  that  was  God.  So  David  poured  it  out  as  an 
offering  to  Jehovah. 

I  daresay  the  three  men  who  had  risked  all  to  get 
that  draught  were  a  little  disappointed  when  they  saw 
the  water  sinking  into  the  hot  dry  sand.  But  when 
David  explained  to  them  that  he  offered  it  to  God 
because  it  was  the  finest  gift  he  had  ever  been  given 
and  he  felt  unworthy  of  it,  when  David  explained  all 
that,  I  expect  they  went  out  from  his  presence  very 
silently  and  thinking  hard. 

Boys  and  girls,  David  gave  to  God  the  most  precious 
thing  he  had.  What  sort  of  gift  do  we  give  Him  ? 
Let  me  tell  you  two  stories  of  what  people  give  to 
God.  The  first  is  the  story  of  an  old  man ;  the  second 
is  the  story  of  a  young  girl. 


2  SAMUEL  XXIII.  16  145 

The  old  man  had  come  to  the  end  of  his  life  and  he 
was  making  his  will  and  disposing  of  his  possessions. 
He  was  a  farmer,  so  he  had  much  in  the  way  of  live 
stock  to  divide  among  his  sons  and  daughters. 
Suddenly  he  remembered  that  one  of  his  cows  was 
amissing,  so  he  said,  "  If  that  lost  cow  is  found  give  it 
to  my  youngest  son,  but  if  it  is  not  found,  let  it  be  for 
God."  All  he  was  willing  to  give  to  God  was  what 
cost  him  nothing. 

The  other  story  comes  from  a  mission  station  in 
Africa.  It  wag  Christmas  Day,  Christ's  birthday,  and 
on  that  day  the  natives  brought  with  them  to  the 
mission  bouse  a  gift  for  Christ.  They  were  very,  very 
poor,  and  their  presents  were  mostly  a  handful  of 
vegetables,  or  a  little  fruit.  Those  who  brought  a 
copper  coin  were  accounted  wealthy  indeed. 

Among  the  givers  was  a  girl  of  sixteen  who  bad  very 
lately  been  converted  from  savagery.  She  stole  forward 
timidly,  and  from  the  folds  of  her  dress  she  drew  out 
a  silver  coin  of  the  value  of  85  cents.  It  was  a  fortune 
for  one  in  her  position,  and  for  a  moment  the  mission- 
ary hesitated  to  take  it;  but  to  avoid  a  scene  he 
accepted  it  without  remark.  Later  he  sought  out  the 
girl  and  asked  her  how  she  had  been  able  to  offer  such 
a  princely  gift  With  shining  eyes  she  told  him  the 
secret.  In  order  to  bring  to  Jesus  a  gift  worthy  of 
His  love  for  her  and  worthy  of  her  love  to  Him,  she 
had  gone  to  a  neighbouring  planter  the  previous  day 
and  had  bound  herself  to  him  as  a  slave  for  life  in 
return  for  the  silver  coin     She  gave  herself  and  all 


146  A  PRECIOUS  GIIT 

lier  life  to  Christ  in  that  one  grand  act.  It  was  the 
mo&t,  and  she  felt  it  was  the  least,  she  could 
give. 

Boys  and  girls,  what  do  we  give  to  Christ  ?  Is  it 
the  old  man's  gift  of  less  than  nothing?  Is  it  the 
slave  ^bri'8  gift  of  our  lives  and  ourselves  ? 


A  THRONE  FOR  THE  KING'S 
MOTHER. 

And  the  king*  rose  up  to  meet  her,  and  bowed  himself  oato  her, 
and  sat  down  on  his  throne,  and  caused  a  throne  to  be  set  fior  the 
king's  mother ;  and  she  sat  on  his  right  hand. — i  Kln^s  uL  19. 

If  I  were  to  ask  you  what  you  thought  the  greatest 
thing  about  King  Solomon  I  wonder  what  your  answer 
would  be. 

Perhaps  some  of  you  would  say  his  wealth  and 
magnificence.  We  read  of  his  wonderful  ivory  throne 
overlaid  with  gold,  of  the  golden  drinking  vessels  which 
were  used  in  the  palace,  of  the  golden  shields  of  his 
bodyguard.  We  learn  that  ships  came  fr<Mn  strange 
countries  bearing  treasure,  that  kings  brought  him 
costly  gifts,  and  that  in  his  reign  silver  was  counted  as 
stones.  We  are  told  that  he  "  exceeded  all  the  kings 
of  the  earth  in  riches." 

And  yet  at  the  end  of  his  life  Solomon  found  that 
all  his  glory  was  but  "  vanity  of  vanities."  In  gaining 
his  wealth  he  had  lost  something  much  more  precious — 
the  love  and  trust  of  many  of  his  people ;  and  he  knew 
that  as  regarded  the  best  and  highest  things  his  life 
had  been  a  failure.  So  I  think  we  must  admit  that 
Solomon's  wealth  was  not  the  gieatest  or  beet  thing 
in  his  life. 

U7 


148     A  THRONE  FOR  THE  KING'S  MOTHER 

Perhaps  others  of  you  say  that  the  greatest  thing 
about  King  Solomon  was  his  wisdom.  And  you  remind 
me  that  he  chose  above  all  things  "  an  understanding 
heart."  You  tell  me  how  wisely  he  judged  the  people 
and  how,  when  the  Queen  of  Sheba  came  from  far  to 
prove  him  with  hard  questions,  she  went  away  sajring 
that  not  the  half  had  been  told  her  of  all  his  wisdom. 

But  although  Solomon  was  a  wise  judge  and  was 
clever  at  answering  riddles  he  was  not  always  a  wise 
ruler.  He  gained  his  magnificence  at  the  price  of  the 
people's  oppression,  and  it  was  largely  owing  to  his 
misrule  that  the  greater  part  of  the  kingdom  was 
taken  away  from  his  son  Rehoboam. 

Shall  I  tell  you  what  I  think  was  the  greatest  thing 
about  King  Solomon,  the  thing  I  like  best  to  remember 
about  him  ?    It  was  his  reverence  for  his  mother. 

Right  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign  we  have  a  little 
picture  of  how  he  received  his  mother  when  she  came 
to  him  with  a  petition.  Solomon  was  only  about 
twenty  years  old  at  the  time.  His  head  might  well 
have  been  turned  by  his  position.  But  when  the  queen 
mother  came  into  his  presence  he  did  not  wave  her 
aside  with  a  haughty  gesture  and  tell  her  to  await  the 
king's  pleasure.  No,  he  paid  her  the  greatest  honour 
and  deference  that  he  knew.  He  "rose  up  to  meet 
her,  and  bowed  himself  unto  her,  and  sat  down  on  his 
throne,  and  caused  a  throne  to  be  set  for  the  king's 
mother ;  and  she  sat  on  his  right  hand." 

I  think  that  must  have  been  one  of  the  proudest 
moments  of  Solomon's  life,  when  he  rose  up  in  all  the 


1  KINGS  II.  19  149 

glory  of  his  young  manhood  and  his  power  to  welcome 
his  mother,  and  to  give  her  the  seat  of  honour  at  his 
side. 

Something  very  like  this  happened  in  the  life  of  one 
of  the  Presidents  of  the  United  States. 

His  name  was  James  Garfield  and  he  started  life  as 
a  poor  boy  in  a  little  log  cabin.  Bit  by  bit,  by  dint  of 
perseverance  and  hard  work,  he  made  his  way  up,  until 
at  last  he  was  elected  President  of  the  United  States, 

As  the  day  drew  near  for  the  inauguration  ceremony 
when  he  was  to  be  made  President,  he  wrote  to  his  old 
mother  and  asked  her  to  accompany  him  to  Washing- 
ton, the  capital  city.  His  mother  replied  that  she 
would  be  quite  out  of  place  among  all  the  grand  people 
who  would  take  part  in  the  ceremony,  and  that  she 
would  just  stay  at  home  and  pray  for  him.  But 
Garfield  wrote  back,  "I'll  not  go  without  you!" 

So  together  they  travelled  to  Washington.  They 
stayed  in  the  same  hotel,  and  when  the  time  came  for 
the  ceremony  Mrs.  Garfield  went  out  leaning  on  her 
son's  arm  and  together  they  entered  the  carriage  that 
was  waiting  for  them.  Together  they  drove  to  the 
Capitol,  where  the  great  ceremony  was  to  take  place. 
There  they  found  waiting  a  great  crowd  of  about  a 
hundred  thousand  people.  On  the  platform  were  all 
the  celebrated  men  from  all  over  the  country — judges, 
and  governors,  and  ministers. 

Together  Garfield  and  his  mother  mounted  the 
platform.  And  then  he  did  a  beautiful  thing.  In 
front  of  that  great  sea  of  faces  all  turned  towards  him, 


150    A  THRONE  FOR  THE  KING^  MOTHER 

he  gave  his  mother  the  chair,  the  seat  of  honour,  that 
had  been  provided  for  himself.  Then  he  delivered  his 
inaugural  address ;  and  after  he  had  taken  the  oath  to 
be  faithful  to  his  office,  he  turned  and  put  his  arms 
round  his  mother  and  kissed  her. 

These  are  two  pictures  of  how  two  great  men  treated 
their  mother.  How  are  you  treating  yours?  Re- 
member that  the  way  in  which  you  act  towards  your 
mother  proves  what  kind  of  boy  or  girl  you  are.  It  is 
one  of  the  very  best  signs  if  you  are  good  to  her,  and 
one  of  the  very  worst  if  you  treat  her  with  contempt. 

Now  most  of  us  would  scorn  to  treat  our  mother 
with  contempt,  and  yet  we  often  give  her  a  great  deal 
of  trouble.  We  say  we  love  her,  and  we  mean  it  too, 
but  we  are  cross  and  disobedient  and  disobliging.  We 
forget  that  the  real  proof  that  we  love  people  is  that 
we  try  to  please  them.  The  love  that  is  all  words  and 
that  costs  us  nothing  isn't  of  much  value. 

I  want  to  give  you  three  reasons  why  you  should  be 
good  to  your  mother. 

1.  And  the  first  is  "because  you  will  never  again  vneet 
anyone  like  her.  You  may  live  till  you  are  a  hundred 
but  you  will  never  have  a  second  mother.  Nobody 
will  love  you  again  in  just  the  same  sort  of  way. 
Nobody  will  have  so  much  patience  with  your  faults. 

My  Mother  she's  so  good  to  mo, 
Ef  I  wuz  good  as  I  could  be, 
I  couldn't  be  as  good — no,  sir  I 
Can't  any  boy  be  good  as  7ier\ 


1  KINGS  II.  19  151 

She  loves  me  when  I'm  glad  er  sad ; 
She  loves  me  when  I'm  good  er  bad ; 
An',  what's  the  funniest  thing,  she  says. 
She  loves  me  when  she  punishes.* 

It  is  from  the  love  of  our  mothers  that  we  can  have 
a  faint  idea  of  God's  love  for  us.  They  never  stop 
loving  us,  and  they  never  stop  believing  in  us,  not  even 
when  everybody  else  has  given  us  up  as  a  bad  job. 
The  greater  number  of  us  would  not  be  half  the  men 
and  women  we  are,  if  it  were  not  for  the  love,  and  the 
care,  and  the  prayers  of  our  mothers. 

2.  The  second  reason  why  you  should  be  good  to 
your  mother  is  that  by  so  doing  you  will  save  yourself 
tnany  hitter  regrets.  Many  a  grown  man  would  give  all 
he  possesses  just  to  have  his  mother  back  again  so  that 
he  might  smooth  out  the  wrinkles  he  had  imprinted  on 
her  face  and  make  up  to  her  for  all  the  sorrow  he  had 
caused  her.  You  have  still  got  your  mother  with  you. 
Be  good  to  her  and  you  will  live  to  be  thankful  for  it. 
Eemember  any  wrong  or  unworthy  thing  you  do  hurts 
her  more  than  it  hurts  anyone  else  on  earth,  because 
she  loves  you  most. 

Here  is  a  story  told  of  another  President  of  the 
United  States — George  "Washington.  When  he  was  a 
boy  he  resolved  that  he  would  go  to  sea  as  a  midship- 
man. All  the  arrangements  were  made,  his  trunk  was 
even  packed  and  away,  and  George  went  to  say  good-bye 
to  his  mother.  He  found  her  in  tears,  and  what  do 
you  think  he  did  ?     He  turned  to  a  servant  and  said, 

*  James  Whitcomb  Riley. 


152     A  THRONE  FOR  THE  KING'S  MOTHER 

"  Go  and  fetch  back  my  trunk.  I  will  not  go  away  and 
break  my  mother's  heart."  His  mother  was  so  struck 
with  his  decision  that  she  said,  "  God  has  promised  to 
bless  the  children  who  honour  their  parents.  I  believe 
He  will  bless  you."     And  He  did. 

3.  The  third  reason  why  you  should  be  good  to  your 
mother  is  that  it  is  one  of  the  best  ways  to  serve  your 
country.  Perhaps  you  think  that  seems  a  queer  thing 
to  say,  but  it's  like  this.  All  through  histoiy  it  has 
been  seen  that  the  strongest  and  most  prosperous 
people  are  those  whose  children  obey  the  Fifth  Com- 
mandment. If  you  don't  learn  early  to  obey  and 
reverence  your  parents  you  won't  learn  later  to  obey 
and  reverence  authority.  And  a  country  where  there 
is  no  reverence  for  authority  is  in  a  very  shaky  con- 
dition. So  the  very  greatest  service  you  can  do  for 
your  eoimtry  at  present  is  to  render  honour  and 
obedienoe  to  your  parents. 

Just  one  word  more,  and  it  is  about  One  greater  than 
Solomon.  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Euler  not  merely  of  a 
little  Eastern  kingdom  but  of  all  the  earth,  and  yet  almost 
all  that  we  know  of  Him  for  eighteen  years — from  the 
time  He  was  twelve  till  He  was  thirty — is  that  He 
was  subject  unto  His  parents.  And  when  He  was  hang- 
ing on  the  cross,  He  forgot  His  own  agony  to  give  His 
sorrowing  mother  into  the  charge  of  the  disciple  He  loved 

Jesus  Christ  was  the  most  tender  and  chivalrous  of 
sons,  and  if  we  want  to  please  and  serve  Him  here 
below  one  of  the  first  things  we  must  do  is  to  love,  and 
reverence,  and  obey  our  mother. 


DAY-DREAMS. 

And  Solomon  awoke,  and,  behold,  it  was  a  dream.— i  King^ 
iii.  15. 

Have  you  ever  dreamt  dreams  ?  I  expect  most  of  you 
have.  And  queer  things  some  of  them  were !  If  you 
want  to  find  the  cause  of  them  you  won't  have  very  far 
to  seek.  It  is  often  because  you  have  eaten  too  much 
of  something  very  nice  for  supper.  And  the  reason 
why  we  sometimes  dream  such  very  odd  and  impossible 
things  ia  that  when  we  dream,  although  part  of  our 
brain  is  awake — the  imaginative  part — yet  the  bit  that 
judges  and  reasons  is  asleep,  and  so  our  imagination 
really  runs  away  with  us. 

But  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  sense  in  our  dreams 
too,  for  I  think  you  will  find  that  very  often  you  dream 
of  something  you  have  been  thinking  about  or  longing 
for.  Perhaps  the  holidays  are  near  and  you  are  looking 
forward  to  a  glorious  time  in  the  country.  You  have 
been  thinking  about  it  for  days,  and  drawing  pictures 
in  your  mind  of  all  the  nice  things  you  are  going  to  do. 
And  when  you  fall  asleep  at  night,  you  dream  that  you 
are  helping  to  pack  the  boxes,  or  that  you  are  setting 
out  for  the  railway  station.  Sometimes  you  find 
yourself  in  the  train  and  looking  out  of  the  carriage 
window.     But  the  provoking  bit  of  it  is  that  you  so 

153 


154  DAY-DREAMS 

very  rarely  get  to  your  destination.    Just  when  you 
are  nearing  it  something  happens  and  you  wake  up. 

Now,  Solomon  once  dreamt  a  dream.  But  his  was  a 
much  more  marvellous  dream  than  any  of  ours ;  for  a 
wonderful  thing  happened  in  it — God  spoke  to  him. 
You  know  sometimes  in  the  old  days  God  did  speak  to 
people  in  that  way.  But  what  I  want  you  to  notice  is 
that  Solomon  dreamt  about  the  thing  that  had  been 
most  in  his  thoughts  and  nearest  his  heart.  He  had 
just  come  to  the  throne  and  he  wanted  to  rule  wisely 
and  well.  But  he  was  very  young  and  he  felt  he  knew 
very  little  about  it.  And  so,  when  God  offered  to  give 
him  whatever  he  desired,  instead  of  riches,  instead  of 
long  life  or  honour,  he  chose  wisdom  to  rule.  If  Gi>d 
had  appeared  to  him  in  the  daytime  and  given  him  the 
same  choice,  he  would  have  made  the  same  decision. 
Solomon's  day-dream  was  to  be  a  good  and  wise  king, 
and  so  his  night-dream  was  the  same. 

1.  I  suppose  most  of  you  have  day-dreams.  You 
dream  about  what  you  are  going  to  be  and  do  when 
you  grow  up.  Now  some  people  fancy  that  day-dreams 
are  silly  things  and  do  more  harm  than  good,  but  I 
don't  think  that  and  I  shall  tell  you  why.  If  you  donH 
dream  great  things  it  is  very  unlikely  you  will  eve?'  do 
them.  It  is  the  people  who  have  dreamt  great  things 
who  have  done  them. 

But  of  course  the  usefulness  of  day-dreams  depends 
upon  what  kind  of  dreams  they  are.  I  remember 
reading  about  one  man  whose  dream  was  to  have  a 


1  KINGS  III.  15  155 

tremendously  big  funeral.  And  he  left  instructions  in 
his  will  that  every  boy  or  girl  who  came  to  his  funeral 
was  to  receive  a  penny.  So  when  he  died  seven 
thousand  boys  and  girls  came  to  his  funeral  and 
received  their  pennies ! 

That  seems  a  very  senseless  sort  of  dream,  doesn't 
it  ?  But  I'm  not  sure  that  some  of  ours  are  not  just  as 
foolish.  However  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  to  stop 
dreaming;  only  be  sure  your  dreams  are  worth 
dreaming. 

2.  But  our  dreams  are  not  going  to  come  true 
without  our  working  for  them.  The  best  dreams  are 
not  easily  realized.     So  hesides  dreaming  we  must  do. 

There  was  a  boy  once  called  Charles  Dickens.  When 
he  was  quite  small  he  was  very  poor.  But  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  when  he  grew  up  he  would  buy  the 
beautiful  old  house  of  Gadshill  near  where  he  lived. 
By  and  by  he  became  a  famous  novelist  and  he  did  buy 
Gadshill. 

There  was  another  boy  whose  name  was  Warren 
Hastings.  He  belonged  to  a  very  old  family  who  had 
owned  a  beautiful  estate  in  Worcestershire  called 
Daylesford.  But  the  family  had  become  very  poor,  and 
Warren's  grandfather  had  been  obliged  to  sell  the 
estate.  One  summer  day,  when  Warren  was  a  very 
small  boy,  he  lay  on  the  banks  of  a  river  near 
Daylesford,  and  he  resolved  that  some  day  he  would 
buy  back  Daylesford.  When  he  grew  to  be  a  man  he 
went  to  India  as  a  clerk,  and  after  many  years  he  rose 
to  be  Governor-General  of  India.     And  when  he  came 


156  DAY-DREAMS 

home  he  did  buy  back  Daylesford  and  he  lived  there 
till  he  died. 

Both  these  boys  realized  their  dreams,  but  they 
worked  hard  through  long  years  to  do  it.  Are  you 
prepared  to  work  for  your  dreams  ?  Are  you  prepared 
to  take  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  hav«  them  realized  ? 
If  they  are  good  dreams  they  are  worth  it. 

3.  But  sometimes  we  have  to  give  up  o^wr  d/reams. 
Some  day  we  may  awake  and  find  they  were  dreams, 
and  only  dreams. 

Sometimes  people  have  to  give  up  their  dreams  for 
the  sake  of  others.  Do  you  think  they  are  the  poorer 
for  it?  No,  I  think  they  are  all  the  richer.  And  I 
think  that  some  day,  somewhere,  what  they  lose  will  be 
made  up  to  them. 

The  other  day  I  read  a  sort  of  parable  about  a  boy 
whose  dream  it  was  to  write  a  great  book.  But  his 
mother  was  a  poor  widow  and  he  had  a  number  of 
younger  brothers  and  sisters ;  so  he  had  to  work  very 
hard  as  a  miner  to  keep  them  all,  and  he  had  no  time 
to  realize  his  dream. 

At  last  a  brother  grew  old  enough  to  earn,  and  the 
boy  thought  that  now  he  would  be  able  to  begin  the 
book.  But  the  brother  had  just  started  work  when  an 
accident  occurred  in  the  mine  and  he  was  crippled  for 
life. 

After  some  years  the  mother  died  and  the  boy,  who 
was  now  a  man,  thought  that  at  last  he  would  be  free 
to  write  his  book.  But  just  then  a  married  sister  lost 
her  husband.     She  was  very  poor,  and  had  four  little 


1  KINGS  III.   15  157 

children  to  provide  for.  So  the  brother  took  the 
children  home  and  became  a  father  to  them. 

When  they  were  all  grown  up  and  he  was  old  and 
grey,  he  thought  that  at  last  he  would  have  leisure  to 
write  his  book.  But  one  day  when  he  was  walking 
along  a  street  he  saw  a  child  in  danger  of  being  run 
over.  He  hurried  to  the  rescue,  was  knocked  down  and 
so  badly  hurt  that  there  was  no  hope  of  his  recovery. 

When  he  came  to  die  his  great  regret  was  that  he 
had  never  written  his  book.  But  as  he  lay  thinking 
about  it,  suddenly  an  angel  appeared  bearing  a  volume 
in  his  hand.  And  the  angel  said,  "  Here  is  thy  book. 
It  is  a  very  noble  book.  Many  shall  read  it  and  be  the 
better  for  it"  And  when  the  man  looked  at  the 
volume  he  saw  that  the  title  was  "The  Story  of  a 
Noble  Life."  It  was  the  record  of  all  the  kind  things 
he  had  done,  of  all  he  had  given  up  and  borne  for  the 
sake  of  others,  and  it  was  a  far  finer  book  than  any  he 
could  have  written  with  pen  or  pencil. 

So  you  see  that  sometimes  it  is  a  grander  thing  to 
give  up  your  dreams  than  to  realize  them.  But  don't 
give  them  up  for  any  unworthy  reason,  don't  let  them 
go  too  easily.  Solomon  became  a  worse  man  when  he 
gave  up  his  day-dreams,  and  many  men  and  women 
have  been  like  him. 

And  remember  there  is  one  dream  we  need  never  give 
up.  It  is  the  dream  that  we  may  be  good  servants  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  live  noble,  true,  unselfish  lives.  That 
is  a  dream  we  can  all  keep,  and  it  is  a  dream  that,  God 
helping  us,  we  can  all  realize. 


THE  TREE  OF  THE  LORD. 

The  cedar  that  is  in  Lebanon. — i  Kings  iv.  33. 

What  is  the  oldest  living  thing  in  the  world  ?  It  isn't 
a  human  being,  although  there  are  plenty  centenarians 
— ^that  is,  people  a  hundred  years  old  and  over — alive 
to-day.  It  isn't  a  bird,  although  the  crow,  the  eagle, 
and  the  swan  are  known  to  live  to  a  hundred.  It  isn't 
a  land  animal,  although  the  tortoise  is  said  to  reach 
the  mature  age  of  three  hundred  and  fifty.  It  isn't  a 
sea  animal,  although  scientists  tell  us  that  the  whale 
may  arrive  at  the  tremendous  total  of  five  hundred 
years  and  more. 

No,  if  you  want  to  see  the  oldest  living  thing  in  the 
world  you  have  to  go  to  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
Among  the  trees  you  will  find  the  longest  livers  known. 
And  of  long-lived  trees  perhaps  the  longest  lived  is 
the  cedar.  There  are  cedars  800  years  old  for 
certain,  and  others  which  are  suspected  to  be  nearly 
2000  years  of  age.  That  is  to  say,  they  were  young 
trees  when  Christ  came  to  earth. 

We  have  cedars  in  this  country,  and  we  think  them 
fine  trees,  but  they  are  poor  specimens  compared  with 
the  cedar  of  the  text,  for  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  were 
Boted  the  world  over  for  size  and  height  and  beauty. 

158 


1  KINGS  IV.   33  159 

Ab  perhaps  you  know,  the  cedar  belongs  to  the 
family  of  conifer  or  cone-bearing  trees.  The  cedar 
is  a  kind  of  pine.  It  has  long  narrow  needle-like  leaves 
which  grow  on  the  branches  in  tufts,  very  much  like 
the  tufts  of  a  larch.  But  the  cedar's  leaves  are  dark 
green,  and  they  do  not  drop  off  in  winter  as  our  larch 
needles  do.  They  remain  on  the  tree  for  about  four 
years  and  they  fall  off  by  degrees,  so  that  the  tree  is 
always  green.  The  branches  are  broad  and  spreading, 
and  the  Bible  tells  us  of  the  dense  shade  that  they  give 
— only  the  Bible  calls  it  by  a  more  poetical  name,  it 
speaks  of  the  cedar's  "  shadowing  shroud." 

The  Bible  calls  the  cedar  "  the  glory  of  Lebanon," 
and  in  Old  Testament  days  very  likely  the  whole  of 
the  lower  slopes  of  the  Lebanon  range  were  covered 
with  these  majestic  giants.  But  to-day  the  cedars  of 
Lebanon  are  fewer  and  farther  between.  They  grow 
in  groves,  mostly  on  the  western  slopes.  Perhaps 
those  who  hewed  down  the  cedars  for  the  building  of 
Solomon's  temple  and  palace  are  responsible.  Perhaps 
the  Arabs  through  the  ages  have  been  too  anxious  for 
firewood.  At  any  rate  the  cedars  are  not  so  plentiful 
as  they  once  were. 

The  cedar  is  not  only  a  magnificent  tree  while  it  is 
growing,  it  is  a  magnificent  tree  when  it  is  cut  down. 
Its  wood  is  strong  and  sound  and  fine,  and  it  takes  a 
high  polish.  It  resists  dry  rot  and  the  inroad  of  insects. 
There  are  no  little  worm-holes,  such  as  you  often  see  in 
old  furniture,  to  be  found  in  cedar  wood.  It  is  fragrant 
too.     The  resin  in  it  gives  it  a  delightful  smell  which 


160     THE  TREE  OF  THE  LORD 

is  health-giving  and  keeps  away  moths.  That  is  why 
furs  and  woollen  articles  are  packed  away  in  drawers 
made  of  cedar  wood,  or  have  chips  of  cedar  laid  away 
amongst  them.  If  you  want  to  know  what  the  "  smell 
of  Lebanon  "  is  like,  take  a  sniff  of  the  polfeh  that  is 
used  to  saturate  an  0- Cedar  mop.    That  is  cedar  oil. 

Besides  being  strong  and  fine  and  fragrant,  cedar 
wood  is  lasting.  In  a  certain  old  Greek  temple  the 
cedar  beams  are  said  to  have  lasted  1178  years.  And 
we  know  in  our  days  that  the  cedar-wood  snake  fences 
which  the  earliest  settlers  in  Canada  put  up  are  in  many 
cases  as  fresh  to-day  as  the  day  they  were  erected. 

The  Bible  looks  upon  the  cedar  as  the  king  of  trees, 
just  as  we  look  upon  the  lion  as  the  king  of  beasts.  It 
speaks  of  the  cedar  as  the  "tree  of  the  Lord."  The 
Hebrews,  when  they  saw  anything  in  nature  specially 
grand  or  beautiful,  always  said,  "It  is  the  Lord's." 
Strangely  enough,  the  cedar  of  Lebanon's  relation,  the 
cedar  of  the  Himalayas,  is  called  by  the  natives  of  India 
the  "  deodar,"  that  is,  the  "  tree  of  God,'' 

There  is  one  thing  more  I  want  you  to  notice  about 
the  cedar,  and  it  is  that  the  righteous,  the  good  people, 
are  compared  to  the  cedar.  The  pseilmist  who  said  it 
was  paying  good  people  the  highest  compliment  he 
could  think  of  when  he  said  they  would  grow  like  a 
cedar  in  Lebanon.  He  meant  that  their  characters 
would  be  as  strong  and  splendid  as  those  great 
mountain  trees. 

Now,  the  writer  of  the  Psalm  might  have  said  even 
more  than  he  did  about  good  people  being  like  cedars. 


1  KINGS  IV.  33  161 

for  they  are  like  them  in  more  ways  than  in  having 
strong  characters.  They  are  like  them  because  they 
are  sound  all  through ;  there  is  no  bad  wood  in  their 
composition.  And  they  are  fine  as  well  as  strong. 
Their  hearts  are  gentle  and  courteous.  They  are 
fragrant  too.  Wherever  they  go  the  world  is  sweeter 
for  their  presence.  Evil  cannot  touch  them  as  the 
worms  cannot  live  in  the  cedar  wood,  and  they  keep 
others  from  evil  as  the  cedar  wood  preserves  the  fur 
from  moths.  Last,  but  not  least,  they  live  not  for  a 
thousand  years  or  so,  but  for  ever.  The  Arabs  say  of  the 
cedar,  "  It  is  immortal"  The  good  man  or  woman,  the 
true  "  tree  of  the  Lord,"  is  more  truly  immortal  than 
any  oedar. 


NARROW  LIGHTS. 

Windows  of  narrow  lights  (RV  "  windows  of  fixed  lattice^ 
work"). — I  King;s  vi.  4. 

There  seems  to  be  a  good  deal  of  doubt  as  to  what 
these  windows  were  like.  In  the  Authorized  Version 
of  the  Bible — the  version  most  of  you  have — it  says 
they  were  "  windows  of  narrow  lights."  The  Eevised 
Version  says  they  were  "  windows  of  fixed  lattice- work," 
and  the  margins  of  both  say  they  were  "  broad  within, 
and  narrow  without " — very  much  like  the  windows  you 
may  have  seen  in  an  old  castle.  Very  probably  these 
windows  were  formed  either  of  lattice-work  or  of  slabs 
of  stone  pierced  with  narrow  slits.  They  were  fixed  so 
that  they  could  not  open  or  shut. 

But,  whatever  their  form,  one  thing  seems  certain — 
they  let  in  very  little  light.  Artificial  light  was  used 
in  the  Temple  and  so  they  perhaps  served  to  let  in  air 
rather  than  light,  for  of  course  there  was  no  glass  in  them. 

At  the  present  day  we  do  not  make  our  windows 
with  narrow  lights,  we  make  them  large  and  wide,  and 
a  window  that  does  not  let  in  light  is  not  serving  the 
chief  purpose  for  which  it  was  made. 

Now  you  and  I  possess  two  sets  of  windows  each — 
the  windows  of  the  mind  and  the  windows  of  the  heart. 
And  we  must  see  to  it  that  they  are  broad  windows  and 

162 


1  KINGS  VI.  4  163 

not  narrow — windows  that  let  in  plenty  of  light, 
windows  that  give  us  broad  views  of  the  world  and  all 
that  it  contains. 

1.  First  there  are  the  windows  of  the  mind.  It  is 
through  them  that  we  take  in  impressions,  knowledge, 
ideas. 

Now  some  people  have  such  narrow  openings  in 
their  mind  that  they  can  take  in  only  one  or  two  ideas. 
And  when  they  have  taken  these  in  they  stick  to  them 
as  though  they  were  the  only  ideas  that  existed.  So 
their  minds  are  starved  for  want  of  light  and  they 
never  grow  any  wiser. 

There  are  others  who  think  that  certain  things  can 
be  done  only  in  a  certain  way;  and  if  anybody  else 
does  them  in  a  different  way  they  imagine  that  that 
person  is  altogether  wrong. 

For  instance,  you  yourselves  know  how  it  is  at  school. 
A  particular  teacher  has  taught  you  for  a  year  or  two 
and  you  have  grown  very  fond  of  her.  Then  one  day 
she  leaves  and  a  new  teacher  comes.  This  other  has 
new  methods,  new  ways  of  doing  things,  and  you  don't 
like  it.  These  methods  may  be  just  as  good  as  your 
old  teacher's  were,  in  fact  they  may  be  better,  but  you 
are  not  accustomed  to  them  and  you  rebel.  Sometimes 
you  tell  the  newcomer  that  Miss  So-and-so  didn't  do 
this  and  Miss  So-and-so  didn't  do  that.  In  short  you 
give  her  a  horrid  time. 

Now  if  your  new  teacher  has  any  sense  she  will  just 
etick  to  her  own  methods  and  not  listen  to  you,  and  if  you 


164  NARROW  LIGHTS 

have  any  sense  you  will  come  to  see  that  there  is  more 
than  one  good  way  of  doing  a  good  thing.  Of  course  it 
is  a  trjring  experience  to  have  all  your  notions  upset  and 
to  have  to  get  accustomed  to  new  ways,  but  it  is  very  good 
for  you  too.     It  is  widening  the  windows  of  your  mind. 

There  are  other  people,  again,  who  think  that  their 
opinion  is  the  only  right  one,  and  that  anyone  who 
thinks  differently  from  them  is  altogether  wrong. 

Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  the  six  blind  men  of 
Hindostan  who  went  to  "  see  "  the  elephant  in  order  to 
find  out  what  it  was  like  ?  It  is  told  in  a  delightful 
little  poem. 

The  first  blind  man  stumbled  up  against  the  side  of 
the  animal,  and  without  examining  it  any  further  he 
called  out  that  the  elephant  was  "  very  like  a  wall." 

The  second  seized  the  tusk.  It  seemed  round  and 
smooth  and  sharp  so  he  exclaimed  that  the  elephant 
was  certainly  "  very  like  a  spear." 

The  third  grasped  the  squirming  trunk  and  he 
maintained  that  the  elephant  was  "  very  like  a  snake." 

The  fourth  stretched  out  a  hand  and  felt  all  round  a 
leg.   He  averred  that  the  elephant  was  "  very  like  a  tree." 

The  fifth  chanced  to  touch  the  ear  and  he  was  con- 
vinced that  the  elephant  was  "  very  Kke  a  fan." 

The  sixth  happened  to  seize  the  tail,  which  swung 
about  in  his  hand.  He  declared  that  the  elephant  was 
"  very  like  a  rope." 

And  so  these  men  of  HindostMi 
Disputed  loud  and  long. 
Each  in  his  own  opinion 
Exceeding  stitf  and  strong, 


1  KINGS  VI.  4  165 

Though  each  was  partly  in  the  right. 
And  each  was  partly  wrong. 

And  80,  boys  and  girls,  don't  imagine  that  because 
somebody  thinks  differently  from  you  they  are  absolutely 
wrong  and  you  are  absolutely  right.  Perhaps  that  is 
the  case,  but  it  is  much  more  likely  that  you  are  both 
partly  right  and  partly  wrong,  and  it  may  be  that  you 
are  quite  wrong  and  they  are  quite  right.  There  is  room 
for  many  opinions  lq  the  world,  and  we  can  all  learn 
something  from  each  other. 

2.  And  then  there  are  the  windows  of  the  heart.  It 
is  through  them  that  we  take  in  sympathy  and  love,  it 
is  through  them  that  we  get  our  experience  of  life,  our 
knowledge  of  men  and  women  and  boys  and  girls,  of 
their  ways  and  their  doings,  of  their  troubles  and  their 
pleasures,  of  their  sorrows  and  their  joys.  And  we 
must  take  pains  to  see  that  these  windows  are  built 
wide,  for  if  we  don't,  then  we  shall  grow  narrow  and 
self-centred  and  unsympathetic. 

Jesus  had  a  great  many  windows  in  His  heart.  He 
had  a  window  on  every  side.  And  they  were  so  wide 
that  they  took  in  everybody.  He  sympathized  with 
all  our  joys  and  sorrows.  He  made  Himself  one  with 
us.  And  if  you  want  to  be  truly  gieat,  truly  noble, 
truly  helpful,  you  must  have  wide  windows  too. 

3.  And,  boys  and  girls,  if  we  don't  try  to  widen  our 
windows  the  danger  is  that  they  will  get  choked  up 
altogether  so  that  no  light  at  all  will  enter. 

I  wonder  how  many  of  you  have  heard  your  father 
speak  of  a  tax  which  he  calls  the  "inhabited  house 


166  NARROW  LIGHTS 

duty,"  and  I  wonder  how  many  of  you  have  noticed 
old  houses  with  built-up  windows.  You  can  see  the 
mark  of  where  a  window  once  was,  but  now  the  space 
has  been  filled  up  with  bricks  or  stones.  Did  you 
know  that  these  bricked-up  windows  and  the  "  inhabited 
house  duty  "  had  any  connection  ?     Well  they  have. 

The  history  of  the  windows  goes  back  to  the  year 
1697  in  the  reign  of  William  III.  In  that  year  the 
silver  coinage  was  reminted.  Now  many  of  the  old 
coins  had  been  clipped  and  worn,  and  in  order  to  pay 
for  the  recoining  and  to  make  up  for  the  deficiency  a 
tax  was  put  upon  windows.  Any  house  that  had  more 
than  six  windows  and  a  rental  of  more  than  £5  a  year 
was  taxed.  Many  people  were  annoyed  at  the  tax,  and 
rather  than  pay  it  they  built  up  their  windows.  If 
they  had  two  in  one  room  they  bricked  up  one  of  them. 

The  tax  was  continued  till  1851,  when  it  was 
removed,  and  a  tax  on  the  rental  of  the  house,  a  tax 
which  we  call  the  "  inhabited  house  duty,"  was  put  in 
its  place.  It  may  interest  you  to  know  that  the  wyidow 
tax  still  exists  in  France. 

And  boys  and  girls,  it  is  like  that  with  the  windows 
of  our  mind,  it  is  like  that  with  the  windows  of  our  heart. 
If  we  don't  keep  trying  to  enlarge  them  they  will  become 
bricked  up.  The  light  will  cease  to  penetrate  and  all  our 
soul  will  be  in  darkness. 

Let  us  ask  the  great  Master  Builder  to  widen  our 
windows.  Let  us  keep  them  wide  by  opening  our 
minds  to  receive  all  good  knowledge  and  our  hearts 
to  understand  and  to  sympathize  with  those  around  us. 


REHOBOAM  THE  UNWISE. 

But  he  forsook  the  counsel  of  the  old  men  which  they  had 
given  him,  and  took  counsel  with  the  young  men  that  were 
grown  up  with  him. — i  Kings  xii.  8. 

There  are  some  men  in  the  Bible  who  are  like  sign- 
posts placed  on  a  road  to  show  us  the  right  way  to  go. 
They  lived  brave  and  true  lives,  and  we  shall  do  well 
if  we  follow  in  their  footsteps.  Such  men  are  Samuel, 
and  Daniel,  and  Josiah  the  boy  king  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  Stephen  in  the  New. 

There  are  other  men  who  are  like  those  motor  signs 
which  tell  us  that  a  certain  turning  or  a  certain  hill 
is  to  be  taken  with  care,  or  that  we  are  approaching  a 
hidden  side  road.  They  are  the  men  who  were  not 
altogether  good  and  not  altogether  bad,  the  men  who 
made  mistakes  and  committed  grave  errors,  but  who 
afterwards  sincerely  repented  and  tried  to  make  up 
for  their  faults.  I  think  among  these  we  must  count 
Jacob  and  David  in  the  Old  Testament  and  the  apostle 
Peter  in  the  New.  And  they  seem  to  say  to  us,  "  Go 
with  caution,  and  avoid  the  mistakes  we  made." 

But  there  is  another  class  who  are  like  the  danger 

signals  on   thin   ice.    They  are  the  men   who  were 

foolish  and  obstinate,  who  rushed  headlong  on  a  mad 

career  which  led  to  their  own  ruin.    And  they  seem 

vn 


168  REHOBOAM  THE  UNWISE 

to  say,  "  Turn  aside  altogether  from  this  way,  for  it  is 
fatal  for  you  to  walk  in  it."  Among  these  last  is 
Eehoboam  the  son  of  Solomon. 

Kehoboam  succeeded  to  the  throne  at  a  very 
troublous  time  in  the  history  of  Israel.  There  had 
always  been  a  good  deal  of  jealousy  and  ill-feeling 
between  the  Northern  tribes  and  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
and  of  late  years  this  feeling  had  increased.  Besides 
this  the  people  were  very  discontented  on  account  of 
the  heavy  burdens  that  King  Solomon  had  laid  upon 
them.  In  order  to  maintain  the  magnificence  of  his 
court  he  had  made  many  of  them  work  like  slaves 
and  had  imposed  very  high  taxes  on  them. 

The  leader  of  the  Northern  tribes  was  a  strong, 
ambitious  man  named  Jeroboam  to  whom  the  prophet 
Ahijah  had  promised  five-sixths  of  the  kingdom.  On 
the  day  that  Kehoboam  was  crowned,  Jeroboam  came 
to  him  with  a  petition  from  the  people.  They  begged 
that  the  yoke  which  King  Solomon  had  laid  upon  them 
might  be  lightened,  that  some  of  their  taxes  might  be 
taken  away  and  their  work  made  less  hard.  And  on 
condition  that  Eehoboam  should  comply  with  their 
wishes  they  promised  to  serve  him  faithfully. 

Eehoboam  seemed  rather  taken  aback  at  their 
proposal.  It  was  a  new  thing  for  the  people  to  dic- 
tate terms  to  the  king.  He  asked  for  three  days  in 
which  to  think  out  his  answer  and  his  request  was 
granted. 

In  the  meantime  Eehoboam  sought  advice  upon  the 
matter.    First  he  consulted  the  old  men,  the  experienced 


1  KINGS  XII.  8  169 

counsellors  of  his  father  King  Solomon,  and  fchey 
advised  him  to  conciliate  the  people.  They  told  him 
that  if  he  would  consent  to  the  wishes  of  hie  people, 
give  up  his  own  desires,  and  seek  to  serve  them  in  this 
matter,  then  he  would  win  their  allegiance  and  bind 
them  to  him  for  ever. 

But  this  kind  of  advice  did  not  suit  King  Kehoboam. 
He  had  been  a  spoiled  boy  all  his  life.  He  had  been 
brought  up  in  a  luxurious  court  where  nothing  had 
ever  been  denied  him,  and  he  was  not  prepared  to  give 
up  his  own  wishes,  or,  as  he  thought,  lower  his  dignity. 
He  turned  his  back  upon  his  father's  sage  counsellors 
and  sought  the  advice  of  the  young  men  who,  like 
himself,  had  been  brought  up  in  the  lap  of  luxury. 
And  these  silly  young  coxcombs  advised  him  to  give 
an  arrogant  answer.  "Tell  the  people,"  they  said, 
"  that  instead  of  lightening  their  yoke  you  will  add  to 
it,  that  whereas  your  father  chastised  them  with  whips 
you  will  chastise  them  with  scorpions."  The  answer 
pleased  Rehoboam  and  flattered  his  foolish  prida  Was 
he  not  an  absolute  monarch,  and  could  he  not  do  as  he 
liked  with  his  own  ?  So  he  rejected  the  advice  of  the 
old  men  and  gave  to  the  people  the  answer  of  the 
young  men. 

It  was  the  last  straw.  Through  the  camp  sounded 
the  cry,  "  To  your  tents,  0  Israel ! "  And  before  the 
night  fell  Eehoboam  found  that  of  all  the  kingdom  his 
father  had  ruled  over,  he  was  left  with  the  tribe  of  Jadah 
only.  For  Israel  departed  from  Judah  that  day — never 
again  to  be  united  with  it  under  one  king. 


170  REHOBOAM  THE  UNWISE 

Now  I  wonder  why  we  have  raked  np  this  old  story 
to-day.  Well,  you  remember,  at  the  beginning  we 
compared  Rehoboam  to  a  danger  signal  on  ice.  And 
what  is  it  he  warns  us  off  ?  I  think  it  is  just  the  thin 
ice  of  taking  bad  or  foolish  advice. 

You  know  we  have  all  to  make  decisions  in  life. 
Sometime  or  other  we  have  to  decide  on  our  career; 
very  often  we  have  to  choose  between  two  paths  which 
lead  in  opposite  du-ections:  every  day  we  have  to 
make  a  choice  between  good  and  evil ;  always  we  have 
to  choose  between  serving  God  and  following  the 
desires  of  our  lower  nature.  It  is  well  when  we  can 
have  at  our  side  a  wise  counsellor. 

1.  There  are  two  things  I  want  to  say  to  you,  and 
the  first  is — always  he  ready  to  listen  to  the  advice  of 
older  and  wiser  people. — Perhaps  you  think  them 
cautious  and  slow-going,  but  they  have  lived  much 
longer  in  the  world  than  you.  What  you  have  just 
read  or  heard  about,  they  have  learned  by  experience ; 
and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  they  are  right  and  you  are 
wrong.  You  can  beat  them  perhaps  in  energy  and 
enthusiasm,  and  it  is  right  that  it  should  be  so,  but 
they  can  beat  you  at  every  turn  in  wisdom  and 
knowledge  of  the  world.  One  of  the  reasons  why  you 
have  a  father  is  that  he  may  be  there  to  advise  you. 

It  is  said  that  Napoleon  lost  the  battle  of  Waterloo 
because  one  of  his  generals  was  too  proud  to  take  the 
advice  of  those  who  were  wiser  than  himself. 

That  general's  name  was  Grouchy.  He  intended 
taking  his  troops  to  Wavre  and  two  other  generals 


1  KINGS  XII.  8  171 

advised  him  to  take  them  straight  to  AVaterloo.  Their 
tone  was  rather  dictatorial  and  Grouchy  resented  it. 
He  persisted  in  taking  his  men  to  Wavre.  And  so,  at 
a  critical  moment  in  the  battle,  when  Napoleon  was 
counting  on  his  aid,  he  failed  to  appear.  He  was  not 
in  time  to  save  the  Emperor  from  final  disaster. 

2.  And  the  second  thing  I  want  to  say  is — always  he 
rather  suspicious  of  advice  that  suits  you. — Now  please 
don't  run  away  with  the  idea  that  all  that  is  agreeable 
is  wrong.  What  I  mean  is  that  very  often  when  we 
ask  for  advice  it  is  because  we  are  hesitating  between 
a  path  that  is  difficult  but  right,  and  one  that  is  easy 
but  wrong. 

All  Scottish  boys  and  girls  know  the  name  of  Robert 
Burns  and  some  of  the  older  ones  here  know  that 
although  Burns  wrote  such  marvellous  poetry  his  own 
life  was  a  sad  failure.  He  had  something  very  fine 
and  noble  in  his  nature,  but  he  yielded  to  temptation, 
and  so  he  never  became  the  splendid  man  he  might 
have  been. 

Now  at  one  time  Burns  felt  specially  drawn  to 
higher  things.  He  began  to  feel  very  dissatisfied  with 
the  life  he  was  leading.  He  began  to  be  afraid  of  the 
consequences  of  that  life.  And  in  his  heart  there  was 
a  great  longing  for  God  and  for  the  things  that  are 
true  and  right.  Unfortunately,  the  poet  consulted  an 
unwise  friend  who  advised  him  to  drown  his  fears  in 
bowls  of  wine  and  forget  them  in  foolish  pleasures.  It 
was  the  easy  way,  and  Burns  took  the  pleasant  advice. 
So  he  made  a  wreck  of  his  life  and  of  his  better  self. 


172  REHOBOAM  THE  UNWISE 

There  is  one  Guide  who  will  never  lead  us  astray, 
and  we  can  always  have  His  guidance  for  the  asking. 
It  is  a  good  rule  through  life  never  to  start  an  under- 
taking or  make  any  important  decision  without  taking 
God's  advice.  And  whether  our  decisions  be  great  or 
small  we  can  never  go  far  wrong  if  we  keep  dose  to 
His  aide  and  listen  to  His  voice. 


PRETENDING. 

Why  feigaeat  Uxoii  thyself  to  be  another  ?— z  Kings  xir.  6. 

Thesb  words  were  spoken  to  a  queen  who  was  trying 
to  make  herself  look  like  a  peasant  woman.  She  was 
the  wife  of  King  Jeroboam.  Her  little  boy  was  very 
sick  and  she  had  come  to  see  the  prophet  Ahijah  hoping 
that  he  would  speak  some  word  to  make  the  child  well 
again. 

Now  the  king  knew  that  the  prophet  was  very  dis- 
pleased with  him  because  he  had  forsaken  the  true  God 
for  idols,  and  he  thought  that  if  Ahijah  knew  who  the 
queen  was  he  would  refuse  to  give  her  a  blessing.  So 
he  told  her  to  dress  herself  like  a  peasant  woman  and 
take  the  prophet  a  present  such  as  a  farmer's  wife 
might  bring — bread  and  cakes,  and  a  jar  of  honey. 

But  Grod  whispered  in  Ahijah's  ear  that  the  wife  of 

King  Jeroboam  was  coming  to  visit  him  in  disguise. 

So,  although  he  was  blind,  the  prophet  knew  the  queen 

the  moment  she  crossed  the  threshold,  and  he  called 

out  to  her,  *  Come  in,  thou  wife  of  Jeroboam ;  why 

feignest  thou  thyself  to  be  another?    Why  art  thou 

pretending  to  be  somebody  else  ? "     I  think  the  queen 

must  have  felt  very  frightened  when  she  knew  she  had 

been  found  out. 

17t 


174  PRETENDING 

I  want  to  speak  to  you  to-day  about  bad  pretending. 
But  what  do  we  mean  by  bad  pretending?  Well, 
there  are  two  or  three  different  kinds  of  pretending, 
and  they  are  not  all  bad.  There  is  the  kind  we  do 
when  we  are  very  small  and  that  is  a  good  kind. 
Why,  it  wouldn't  be  worth  while  being  a  boy  or  girl 
if  we  couldn't  pretend.  Whatever  should  we  do  on  a 
wet  day  if  we  couldn't  be  kings,  and  queens,  and  fairies, 
and  witches,  and  animals,  and  engine-drivers,  and  motor- 
men,  and  cannibals,  and  explorers,  and  pirates  ?  Half 
the  fun  in  life  would  be  gone  if  we  couldn't  dress  up 
and  imagine  we  were  somebody  else. 

And  there  is  the  kind  of  pretending  some  of  us  do 
when  we  have  got  some  nasty  medicine  to  swallow  or 
some  disagreeable  task  to  perform.  We  can  try  to 
imagine  it  is  something  really  quite  nice  and  pleasant. 
That  is  a  brave  kind  of  pretending. 

But  there  are  other  kinds  of  pretending  that  are  not 
quite  so  harmless.  Some  people  have  tried  so  hard  to 
ape  somebody  else  that  they  have  forgotten  what  their 
real  selves  are  like.  And  some  people  have  so  got  into 
the  habit  of  pretending  to  be  better,  or  richer,  or 
cleverer  than  they  are  that  nobody  knows  which  is  the 
real  person  and  which  is  the  pretence.  And  so  I  want 
to  say  two  things  to  you — first  he  yowrself  and  second 
he  what  you  seem. 

1.  Be  yourself. — I  have  known  boys  who  admired  a 
big  brother,  or  uncle,  or  cousin,  or  friend  so  much  that 
they  went  on  imitating  him  until  they  really  began  to 
look  a  little  like  him.     Well,  so  long  aa  the  friend  was 


1  KINGS  XIV.   6  175 

worth  imitating  I  don't  know  that  it  was  altogether  a 
bad  thing.  But  there  is  always  a  danger  that  we 
imitate  the  wrong  person,  and  there  is  always  a  danger 
that  we  imitate  so  hard  that  we  lose  our  own  individ- 
uality, that  we  cease  to  be  ourselves  and  just  turn  out 
bad  copies  of  somebody  else. 

And  then  sometimes  it  is  the  fashion  to  behave  and 
speak  in  a  particular  way  and  everybody  tries  to  copy 
that  way. 

Once  I  visited  a  small  town  where  there  were  a 
number  of  girls  just  growing  up,  and  there  was  one 
thing  that  struck  me  about  them.  Although  their 
faces  were  different,  their  actions  and  their  conversation 
were  extraordinarily  alike.  You  could  almost  be  sure 
that,  given  the  same  circumstances,  they  would  behave 
in  exactly  the  same  way.  They  had  only  two  adjectives. 
One  of  them  was  "  beastly,"  the  other  was  "  ripping." 
And  if  you  asked  them  a  question,  or  made  a  remark, 
you  could  almost  foretell  what  the  answer  would  be, 
and  almost  foresee  the  particular  kind  of  smile  with 
whieh  it  would  be  accompanied.  Well,  of  course,  you 
grew  very  tired  of  seeing  and  hearing  the  same  thing 
over  and  over  again.  I  don't  know  whom  these  girls 
were  trying  to  copy,  or  who  and  what  they  were 
"  feigning  to  be,"  but  they  weren't  like  real,  live  girls  at 
all ;  they  were  just  puppets. 

Now  God  never  meant  us  to  be  made  all  of  one 
pattern.  The  world  would  be  a  very  dull  place  if  all 
the  flowers  were  the  same  shape  and  colour,  and  all 
the  birds  sang  the  same  songs.     You  have  a  place  to 


176  PRETENDING 

fill  that  nobody  else  can  fill  and  a  work  to  do  that 
nobody  else  can  do,  and  God  wants  you  to  be  just 
yourself. 

2.  Be  what  you  seem  to  he. — In  the  insect  kingdom 
there  are  some  wonderful  insects  which  look  just  like 
a  bit  of  the  plant  or  flower  they  are  resting  upon. 
There  are  the  stick  insects  whose  bodies  resemble  stems 
both  in  shape  and  in  colour,  and  whose  legs  look  like 
twigs.  Although  some  of  them  are  over  a  foot  long  it 
is  very  difficult  to  see  them  when  they  are  resting  on 
the  branch  of  a  tree  or  shrub.  Away  in  Ceylon  there 
is  an  insect  called  the  leaf  insect  which  has  made 
itself  look  exactly  like  one  of  the  leaves  of  the  plant 
on  which  it  rests.  It  has  copied  the  colour  of  the  leaf 
and  it  has  even  imitated  its  veins  and  markings.  And 
there  is  another  insect  which  in  the  early  stages  of  its 
existence  has  no  wings  to  help  it  to  escape  from  its 
enemies.  So  it  drags  itself  through  old  spider's  webs 
and  covers  itself  with  web  and  dust  until  it  makes 
itself  look  very  big  and  terrifying.  When  the  time 
comes  for  it  to  have  wings  it  brushes  off  its  dirty 
coat. 

Now  all  these  creatures  have  some  excuse  for  looking 
like  something  else.  They  are  small  and  feeble,  and 
they  wear  a  disguise  to  protect  them  from  their 
enemies.  But  we  have  no  excuse  for  seeming  what 
we  are  not. 

Bo  you  know  the  fable  of  the  jackdaw  that  tried  to 
be  a  peacock?  He  thought  the  peacocks  were  very 
fine  birds,  and  he  admired  their  beautiful  tails  and 


1  KINGS  XIV.  6  177 

their  grand  manners.  So  one  day  he  picked  up 
some  of  their  old  feathers  that  were  lying  about  the 
yard  and  stuck  them  in  his  own  tail.  And  then  he  went 
to  call  on  the  peacocks.  But  the  peacocks  were  not  a 
bit  taken  in.  First  they  laughed  at  him,  and  then 
they  ran  at  him  and  plucked  out  his  borrowed  feathers. 
And  when  he  returned  to  the  jackdaws  they  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him  either,  because  he  had 
thought  himself  too  grand  for  them  and  only  fit  to  be 
a  peacock.  So  the  silly  jackdaw  learned  too  late  that 
it  is  better  to  be  a  real  jackdaw  than  an  imitation 
peacock,  it  ia  better  to  be  true  and  humble  than  false 
and  grand. 

The  people  who  pretend  to  be  grander  than  they  are 
are  called  "  snobs.*'  But  there  is  something  worse  even 
than  being  a  snob,  and  that  is  being  a  hypocrite.  And 
that  is  the  name  we  give  to  those  who  pretend  to  be 
better  than  they  are. 

On  a  hill  near  Bath  there  stands  a  building  that 
looks  like  a  fine  castle.  But  it  isn't  a  castle  at  all ;  it 
is  only  a  wall  built  to  look  like  a  castle,  and  the  people 
there  call  it  "  Sham  Castle." 

You  wouldn't  like  just  to  be  shams,  would  you, 
empty  shams  that  are  of  no  use  to  anybody  ?  Then  be 
real  and  true.  Scorn  all  deceitful  ways.  Be  the  kind 
of  boy  and  girl  whose  word  can  be  relied  on,  the  kind 
of  boy  and  girl  whom  everybody  can  trust.  Be  upright 
and  downright  at  all  times.  Then  you  will  never  run 
the  risk  of  being  anything  else  than  what  you  seem 
to  be. 


TRUST  AND  GET  THE 
BLESSING. 

She  went  and  did  according  to  the  saying*  oi  Elijah :  and  she, 
and  he,  and  her  house,  did  eat  many  days. — x  Kings  xvii.  15. 

Do  you  remember  the  years  during  the  Great  War 
when  food  was  .so  scarce  that  it  had  to  be  strictly 
rationed  so  that  everybody  might  have  a  little?  Do 
you  remember  how  mother  planned  and  schemed  to 
make  the  small  meat  allowance  go  as  far  as  possible  ? 
Do  you  remember  how  you  had  only  a  scrape  of  butter 
or  margarine  on  your  bread,  how  your  tea  hardly  tasted 
of  sugar,  and  how  jam  on  your  bread  was  a  rare  treat  ? 

To-day's  story  is  about  a  time  in  the  history  of  Israel 
when  food  was  ten  times  as  scarce  as  it  was  during 
the  war  years  we  remember.  But  the  reason  for  the 
scaroenees  was  not  a  war,  it  was  a  three  years'  drought 
— three  years  of  no  rain,  during  which  the  crops 
withered  for  lack  of  moisture,  and  the  cattle  died  for 
lack  of  food,  and  the  people  perished  of  hunger. 

And  the  awful  thing  was  that  the  famine  was  the 
people's  own  fault.  God  had  sent  it  to  them  as  a 
punishment  for  their  sins.  They  had  been  forgetting 
God  Worse  than  that,  they  had  been  worshipping  a 
false  god  in  His  stead.  Sad  to  say  their  king,  Ahab, 
was  largely  to  blame  for  this.     For  he  had  yielded  to 

178 


1  KINGS  XVII.  15  179 

the  wishes  of  his  wicked  heathen  wife  Q\ven  Jezebel, 
had  built  a  temple  in  Samaria  to  her  favourite  god 
Baal,  and  had  encouraged  the  foolish  people  of  Israel 
to  worship  him. 

So  one  day  God  sent  his  prophet  Elijah  to  warn  the 
king  that  there  would  be  neither  rain  nor  mist  in  the 
land  until  the  day  when  he,  Elijah,  said  so.  And  as 
Elijah  prophesied  so  it  came  to  pass.  The  prophet 
himself  went  and  lived  for  a  time  in  the  wilderness 
beside  the  brook  Cherith,  and  the  ravens,  you  remember, 
brought  him  food  night  and  morning.  But  at  laet,  for 
lack  of  rain,  the  brook  dried  up,  and  God  then  told 
Elijah  to  go  to  a  certain  city  called  Zarephath.  There 
God  promised  he  would  find  a  widow  woman  who 
would  feed  him  and  give  him  a  home. 

The  prophet  was  rather  surprised  at  God's  conunand ; 
for  Zarephath  was  a  city  of  Zidon,  and  the  people  of 
Zidon  were  heathens — in  fact  Jezebel's  father  was  king 
of  the  21idonians — and  to  go  down  to  a  city  where 
Jezebel  might  hear  of  him  and  seize  him  was  like 
walking  into  the  jaws  of  the  wolf.  But  though  Elijah 
was  surprised  he  never  dreamt  of  disobeying.  He 
trusted  God  and  set  out  on  his  journey. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  gate  of  Zidon  there  he  saw 
a  poor  woman  gathering  sticks.  Something  told  him 
that  this  was  the  widow  God  had  spoken  of,  so  he  went 
up  to  her  and  asked  her  if  she  would  be  kind  enough 
to  bring  him  a  drink  of  water.  She  turned  away  to 
fetch  a  little  water  for  this  strange-looking  man  with 
the  stern  face  and  the  camel's-hair  mantle  of  a  prophet, 


180      TRUST  AND  GET  THE  BLESSING 

and  as  she  was  going  he  called  after  her,  "  And  please 
bring  me  a  morsel  of  bread  too ! "  The  woman  stopped 
and  looked  at  him  and  then  she  said  sadly,  "Bread! 
How  can  I  bring  you  bread  ?  I  have  only  a  very  little 
meal  left  in  the  barrel,  just  enough  to  make  one  baking 
of  bread ;  and  I  have  only  enough  oil  left  in  the  cruse 
to  bake  it  with.  These  sticks  are  to  make  the  fire. 
Then  my  son  and  I  shall  eat  our  last  meal.  After 
that  we  must  starve  and  die." 

"  No,"  said  the  prophet.  "  No.  You  need  not  fear 
that  you  will  die  of  starvation.  Do  as  you  said.  Bake 
your  bread  and  give  me  some  of  it.  I  promise  you  in 
the  name  of  my  God  that  neither  your  barrel  of  meal 
nor  your  cruse  of  oil  shall  be  empty  so  long  as  the 
famine  lasts." 

It  was  an  extraordinary  thing  to  say  and  I'm  sure 
the  woman  gazed  in  amazement  at  this  strange  prophet 
who  promised  her  such  wonderful  things  in  the  name 
of  the  God  of  Israel  Always  to  have  plenty  whilst 
the  famine  lasted !  It  sounded  too  good  to  be  true. 
Was  she  a  fool  to  trust  him  and  give  him  a  share  of 
the  last  bite  of  food  she  possessed?  He  was  an 
absolute  stranger  and  he  was  very  likely  making  up  a 
story  for  his  own  ends.  Could  she,  dare  she,  trust 
him?  .  .  .  Yes,  she  would. 

She  went  and  did  exactly  what  he  bad  told  her  to 
do,  and  the  result  was  that  so  long  as  the  famine  lasted 
her  barrel  of  meal  was  miraculously  filled  and  so  was 
her  cruse  of  oil. 

DcHi't  you  think  that  woman's  faith  in  Elijah  and 


1  KINGS  XVII.  15  181 

her  obedience  to  his  wishes  were  splendid  ?  Don't  yon 
think  she  deserved  the  blessing  that  she  got  ?  Would 
you  have  done  as  she  did  ? 

Boys  and  girls,  we  can  still  show  the  same  faith  as 
that  woman  of  Zarephath.  Elijah's  command  to  her 
was  really  God's  command.  And  God's  command  is 
the  same  to-day  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  that  far-off 
famine.  He  still  says  to  you  and  to  me,  "  Trust  Me 
and  do  My  wilL"  But  some  of  us  won't  trust  Him. 
We  prefer  to  trust  ourselves  and  go  our  own  way,  and 
so  we  miss  the  blessing.  Shall  I  tell  you  a  story  to 
make  this  clear? 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  certain  Mng  who 
wanted  to  find  a  servant  and  friend  whom  he  could 
trust.  He  gave  out  that  he  wanted  a  man  to  do  a 
day's  work,  and  two  men  applied  for  the  situation. 
The  king  engaged  them  at  a  fixed  wage,  and  then  he 
told  them  what  he  wanted  them  to  do.  They  were  to 
spend  the  day  drawing  water  from  a  well  but — and 
this  was  the  curious  thing — they  were  to  pour  the 
bucketfuls  into  a  basket. 

After  emptying  his  bucket  once  or  twice,  one  of  the 
men  pitched  it  away  in  a  rage  crying,  "  This  is  a  fool's 
job !  I  shall  do  no  more  of  it  I "  But  the  other  said, 
"  It  is  the  job  the  king  asked  us  to  do,  and  it  is  the  job 
we  are  being  paid  for  doing.  We  have  no  right  to 
stop."  So  he  went  on  faithfully  dipping  his  bucket 
into  the  well  and  pouring  its  contents  into  the  basket. 

By  and  by  his  eyes  caught  the  glitter  of  something 
shining  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  well.     It  was 


182      TRUST  AND  GET  THE  BLESSING 

a  precious  diamond  ring.  "  Ah ! "  said  he,  "  now  I  see 
why  the  king  set  us  to  this  task,  and  why  we  were 
told  to  pour  the  water  into  a  basket.  If  the  water  had 
brought  up  the  ring  before  the  well  was  dry,  the  ring 
would  have  been  found  in  the  basket."  So  he  took  the 
ring  to  the  king. 

But  the  king  said,  "  Keep  it.  You  are  a  man  whom 
I  can  trust  because  you  obeyed  and  trusted  me  when 
you  did  not  understand  my  reasons.  I  see  1  can  trust 
you  in  greater  things."  And  he  gave  him  a  high 
position. 

Boys  and  girls,  you  will  find,  especially  as  you  grow 
older,  that  sometimes  it  seems  difficult  to  do  as  God 
commands,  for  you  don't  see  the  reason  behind  His 
command.  But  never  mind  that !  Just  go  on  obeying 
and  trusting,  and  you  will  find  a  blessing  as  surely  as 
did  that  faithful  servant,  as  surely  as  did  that  poor 
starving  widow  of  Zarephath. 


LAME  MINDS. 

How  loag*  halt  ye  between  two  opinions? — x  Kings  xviii.  21. 

1  EXPECT  most  of  you  when  you  were  very  small, 
oh,  a  loTig  time  ago,  played  a  game  called  "  Oranges  or 
Lemons."  You  know  how  two  people  make  an  arch 
with  their  hands  and  everyone  else  passes  under  the 
arch  until  one  is  caught  and  asked  in  a  whisper 
whether  he  would  like  to  be  an  "  orange  "  or  a  "  lemon." 
If  he  says  "  orange "  he  is  sent  to  one  side,  and  if  he 
says  "lemon"  he  is  sent  to  the  other.  And  so  the 
game  goes  on  until  everybody  has  been  caught,  and 
then  comes  a  grand  tug  of  war  between  the  "  oranges  " 
and  the  "  lemons." 

Now  suppose  some  boy  or  girl  thought  they  would 
like  to  be  half  an  "  orange  "  and  half  a  "  lemon  " ;  and 
suppose  they  stood  in  the  middle  and  pulled  one  side 
with  the  right  hand,  and  the  other  with  the  left; 
wouldn't  you  think  they  were  rather  silly?  They 
wouldn't  be  doing  any  good  to  anybody  else,  and  they 
wouldn't  be  doing  any  good  to  themselves. 

And  yet  there  are  lots  of  boys  and  girls,  and  men 

and  women  too,  who  are  just  like   that.     They  can't 

make  up  their  mind  what  they  will  do,  or  which  side 

they  will  choosa     Sometimes  they  think  they  would 

16S 


184  LAME  MINDS 

like  one  thing,  and  the  next  moment  they  fancy  they 
would  like  another.  They  are  the  people  with  lame 
minds. 

These  people  never  make  very  much  progress.  They 
are  always  hobbling  from  one  foot  to  the  other,  so  of 
course  they  don't  get  along  very  fast.  They  are  like 
the  Chinaman  who  was  seen  standing  at  the  roadside 
hacking  a  piece  of  log,  but  never  striking  it  twice  in 
the  same  place.  A  passer-by  asked  him  what  he  was 
making,  and  he  replied,  "  Oh,  don't  know :  maybe  idol, 
maybe — bedstead ! " 

Now  I  want  you  to  consider  some  of  the  things 
we  have  to  decide  about. 

1.  And  the  first  are  the  little  things  of  everyday 
life.  When  you  have  sixpence  to  spend  make  up  your 
mind  what  you  are  going  to  purchase  with  it.  Of 
course  half  the  joy  of  possessing  a  sixpence  is  in 
planning  all  the  things  it  might  buy,  and  I  don't  mean 
you  should  deprive  yourself  of  that  pleasure.  But 
when  you  have  gone  into  the  shop  and  fixed  on  some- 
thing, don't  change  your  mind  after  the  girl  has 
wrapped  up  your  purchase  in  brown  paper  and  tied  a 
string  round  it.  And  if  you  have  to  choose  between 
going  for  a  cycle  run  or  playing  a  game,  make  up  your 
mind  about  it  and  stick  to  your  decision.  If  you  train 
yourself  to  be  decided  about  little  things  now,  you  won't 
have  so  much  trouble  about  the  big  things  later  on. 

2.  Now  let  us  think  about  some  of  those  bigger 
things  about  which  we  have  to  decide. 


1  KINGS  XVIII.  21  185 

Most  of  us  have  to  decide  sooner  or  later  what 
we  are  going  to  he.  Of  course  when  we  are  quite 
small  we  change  our  minds  about  that  very  often. 
One  day  we  think  we  shall  be  an  engine-driver,  and 
the  next  a  plasterer,  and  the  next  a  doctor,  and  the 
next  a  chimney-sweep.  And  that  doesn't  really  matter 
much.  But  when  we  get  into  the  top  classes  at  school 
we  have  to  begin  to  consider  the  thing  seriously.  I 
know  a  boy  who  tried  five  different  trades  before  he 
finally  settled  down,  and  of  course  he  never  succeeded 
in  any  of  them.  So  if  you  want  to  get  on  you  must 
choose  one  thing  and  make  up  your  mind  you  wiU 
stick  to  it  and  make  a  success  of  it. 

3.  But  there  is  a  bigger  choice  still  than  that  of 
choosing  a  career,  and  it  comes  to  us  every  day  of  our 
lives — the  choice  between  right  and  wrong.  We  have 
to  learn  to  say  "No,'*  and  to  say  it  quickly  and 
decidedly ;  for  if  we  hop  about  from  one  foot  to  the 
other  we  are  almost  siu^e  to  choose  the  wrong. 

That  lad  is  bound  to  reach  the  top, 
His  progress  no  rebuffs  can  stop, 

Who  makes  his  motto  ON : 
Who  when  besought  to  turn  astray, 
Just  reads  his  motto  backward  way. 

And  turns  his  ON  to  NO : 
This  lad,  though  poor  as  some  church  monse, 
May  some  day  dwell  in  his  own  house, 

And  drive  his  car  also. 

4.  But  the  biggest  thing  of  all  that  we  have  to  deter- 
mine is  on  whose  side  we  are  going  to  be — on  Christ's  or 
Satan's.     It  is  a  question  we  can't  get  out  of  deciding. 


186  LAME  MINDS 

because  if  vre  are  not  on  one  side  then  we  are  on  the 
other.  Some  people  think  they  can  be  on  neither 
side,  or  a  little  on  each,  or  half-way  between  both. 
But  that  is  quite  a  mistaken  idea. 

There  was  a  warrior  of  old  who  painted  GW  on  one 
side  of  his  shield  and  the  devil  on  the  other  and  added 
below,  "  I  am  ready  for  either."  He  was  trying  to  serve 
both,  but  it  can't  be  done.  If  you  are  not  on  Christ's 
side,  then  you  are  against  Him.  Which  side  are  you 
going  to  take  ? 


LITTLE   THINGS. 

A  little  cloud.— I  Kings  xviii.  44  (AV). 

When  I  was  staying  in  the  Highlands  one  summer  I 
met  a  man  whose  property  had  been  badly  damaged 
by  a  cloud-burst.  He  lived  in  a  farmhouse  near  the 
bottom  of  a  steep  hill,  many  miles  from  a  town.  Below 
the  farmhoup,e  were  a  few  fields,  and  beyond  the  fields 
flowed  a  river  which  some  people  say  is  the  most 
beautiful  in  Scotland.  Close  beside  the  farmhouse 
there  was  the  dried-up  rocky  bed  of  a  mountain  stream 
which  once  upon  a  time  must  have  flowed  into  the  river. 

Now,  that  particular  summer  was  a  very  wet  and 
disagreeable  one,  and  many  of  us,  I'm  afraid,  grumbled 
a  good  deal  about  the  weather.  One  day  a  cloud  burst 
over  the  top  of  the  mountain  and  the  rain  descended  in 
torrents.  It  found  its  way  into  the  old  bed  of  the 
stream,  and  rushed  down  with  such  terrific  force  that 
in  less  than  an  hour  it  had  cut  a  trench  in  the 
mountain-skle  so  deep  that  you  could  have  hidden  the 
wall  of  a  house  in  it.  It  swept  on  to  the  fields  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hill  ruining  the  crops,  and  it  ended  by 
carrying  away  one  of  the  bridges  that  crossed  the  river. 

We  don't  very  often  get  such  torrents  of  rain  in 
Scotland,  b«t  I  think  it  must  have  been  a  storm  very 

187 


188  LITTLE  THINGS 

Biuch  like  this  that  burst  upon  Mount  Carmel  when 
Elijah  sent  his  servant  in  such  a  hurry  to  tell  Ahab  to 
get  ready  his  chariot  and  hasten  back  to  Jezreel  lest  the 
rain  should  stop  him. 

You  remember  that  there  had  been  a  famine  in  the 
land  of  Samaria  for  three  years  because  of  the  drought, 
and  that  Elijah  went  up  to  the  top  of  Mount  Carmel 
to  pray  for  rain.  Six  times  he  sent  his  servant  to  a 
peak  overlooking  the  Meditermnean  to  search  for  signs 
of  rain,  and  six  times  the  young  man  came  back  saying 
that  the  sky  was  cloudless.  But  the  seventh  time  he 
told  Elijah  that  there  was  a  little  cloud  away  to  the 
west,  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand.  Then  the  prophet 
sent  him  running  post  haste  to  tell  Ahab  to  get  into 
his  chariot  and  start  for  home  as  quickly  as  possible 
lest  the  floods  should  stop  him.  Scarcely  had  the  king 
set  out  when  the  sky  was  covered  with  inky  clouds  the 
wind  blew  a  hurricane,  and  the  rain  descended  in 
torrents.  And  this  great  storm  grew  out  of  a  little 
cloud  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand. 

I  want  you  to  notice  that  big  things  nearly  always 
grow  out  of  little  things.  Big  men  and  women  grow 
out  of  little  boys  and  girls,  big  towns  grow  out  of  little 
villages,  big  trees  grow  out  of  little  seeds.  Sometimes 
we  are  apt  to  think  that  little  things  don't  matter.  But 
that  is  a  very  silly  mistake  to  make.  In  a  way  it  is 
really  the  little  things  that  matter  most  because  they 
are  the  beginning  and  if  it  weren't  for  them  the  big 
things  would  never  be  there. 


1  KINGS  XVIII.  44  189 

1.  And  first  will  you  notice  that  hig  had  thmgs  grow 
out  of  little  had  thiTigs. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  town  in  America 
which  was  built  of  wood,  and  in  this  town  was  a  certain 
ahed  where  cows  were  kept.  One  night  someone  left 
a  lighted  lamp  in  the  shed,  and  a  cow  kicked  over  the 
lamp.  Very  soon  the  shed  was  in  a  blaze,  then  the 
next  building  caught  tire,  and  the  next,  and  the  next, 
until  at  last  the  whole  town  of  Chicago  was  burnt  to 
the  ground.  If  someone  had  put  out  the  fire  when  it 
began  nothing  worse  might  have  happened  than  the 
destruction  of  a  little  straw  or  a  board  or  two ;  but  as 
it  was  a  whole  town  was  reduced  to  ashes. 

It  is  just  like  that  with  the  little  bad  things — the 
little  selfishnesses;  the  little  tempers,  the  little  bits  of 
deceit.  If  we  check  them  at  the  beginning  they  are 
very  easily  stopped,  but  if  we  let  them  go  on  there  is 
no  saying  where  they  will  end,  and  soon  it  may  be 
beyond  our  power  to  stop  them. 

2.  But  there  is  another  side  to  the  "  little  and  big 
things"  question,  and  the  other  side  is  the  brighter 
side.  It  is  that  hig  good  things  grow  out  of  little  good 
things. 

Awsij  in  far  Japan  there  is  a  very  beautiful  place 
called  Nikko,  and  leading  up  to  this  beautiful  place  there 
is  a  wonderful  avenue  of  cedar  trees.  The  avenue  is 
miles  in  length  and  some  of  the  trees  in  it  are  thirty 
feet  round  and  two  hundred  feet  high.  It  is  one  of  the 
finest  sights  in  Japan,  and  people  come  to  see  it  from 


190  LITTLE  THINGS 

all  parts  of  the  country.  Now,  how  do  yon  think  that 
wonderful  avenue  came  to  be  there  ? 

Long  ago  there  lived  in  Nikko  a  poor  man  who  had 
lost  somebody  he  loved  very  much.  It  was  the  custom 
for  the  rich  men  of  the  place  to  erect  beautiful  marble 
monuments  in  memory  of  the  friends  they  had  lost,  but 
this  poor  man  had  no  money  to  buy  marble  monuments. 
He  thought  and  thought,  and  at  last  he  hit  upon  a  plan. 
He  would  build  a  living  monument. 

So  he  set  about  collecting  cedar  seeds,  and  when  he 
tad  got  together  a  great  many  he  planted  them  on 
either  side  of  the  road  leading  to  Nikko.  After  a  time 
the  seeds  began  to  grow.  Year  after  year  the  young 
trees  grew  taller  and  stronger,  and  now  t^ese  cedars 
are  the  wonder  of  the  whole  place. 

And  the  little  good  things  are  just  like  those  cedars. 
You  never  know  what  they  may  grow  to.  A  little  task 
well  fulfilled,  a  little  kind  word  spoken,  a  little  kind 
deed  done  may  have  big  consequences  that  we  never 
dream  of.  So  never  think  that  the  little  good  things 
are  of  no  account. 

And  in  case  you  are  tempted  to  lose  heart  I  want  to 
remind  you  of  a  little  thing  that  became  very  great  and 
powerful.  When  Jesus  ascended  He  left  His  message 
in  the  hands  of  a  very  few  men.  In  the  first  chapter 
of  Acts  we  read  that  there  were  just  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  them — one  hundred  and  twenty  men  against 
the  whole  big  world.  And  yet  these  men  were  faithful. 
They  told  their  friends  the  things  that  Jesus  had  told 
them,  and  these  friends  told  their  friends.     And  some 


1  KINGS  XVIII.  44  191 

of  them  went  far  away  into  strange  countries  to  tell 
the  news  to  strange  people.  To-day  millions  of  people 
have  learned  to  know  and  to  love  Jesus,  and  the  time 
will  yet  oome  when  His  message  will  be  delivered  the 
wide  world  over. 

So  never  despise  the  little  things,  for  they  are  the 
things  that  count.  Make  up  your  minds  that  you  will 
fight  the  little  bad  things  and  conquer  them  when  they 
are  small.  Resolve  that  you  will  range  yourselves  on 
the  side  of  the  little  good  things  that  grow  up  into  the 
things  that  are  strong,  and  wis©,  and  noble. 


THE  LETTER  "I." 

I,  even  I  only.— z  Kingfs  xix.  lO. 

What  is  your  favourite  letter  of  the  alphabet  ?  Most 
of  us  have  a  special  liking  for  one  letter  or  another. 
Some  of  us  like  "  W  "  because  it  is  a  pretty  letter,  or 
**T"  because  it  is  an  easy  letter  to  write,  or  "Q" 
because  it  is  such  a  curious  letter,  or  "  X "  because  it 
stands  for  a  kiss.  Or  we  have  a  special  weakness  for 
our  own  initials  whatever  they  may  be.  We  are  so 
fond  of  them  that  we  scribble  them  on  every  available 
space  and  carve  them  on  every  possible  piece  of  wood. 
We  even  go  the  length  of  cutting  them  out  in  the 
turf,  or  sowing  them  in  cress  in  the  garden. 

Now  there's  not  much  harm  in  all  that,  so  long  as 
we  take  care  not  to  decorate  other  people's  property 
with  our  initials ;  and  yet  there  is  a  hint  of  danger  in 
being  too  fond  of  your  owa  initials.  Shall  I  tell  you 
why  ?  Because  the  boy  or  girl  who  is  always  admiring 
his  or  her  special  initials  is  really  adoring  the  letter 
**  I."  And  to  adore  the  letter  "  I "  is  a  very  dangerous 
thing  indeed. 

Did  you  ever  notice  how  often  some  people  use  the 

letter  "  I "  ?     If  you  just  listen  and  count  you  will  find 

an  "  I "  at  the  beginning  of  nearly  every  sentence  they 

Ids 


1  KINGS  XIX.  10  193 

utter.  Once  I  remember  reading  the  letter  of  the 
wife  of  a  very  clever  and  a  very  famous  man.  He  was, 
like  all  great  men,  very  simple-hearted  and  very 
humble-minded,  but  his  wife,  who  was  neither  clever 
nor  famous,  was  quite  the  reverse,  and  so  in  the  three 
and  a  half  pages  of  that  short  letter  how  many  "  I  "s 
do  you  think  she  had  ?  Forty !  That  was  a  record, 
wasn't  it? 

In  to-day's  story  you  find  a  great  prophet  using  the 
letter  "  I "  oftener  than  he  should.  "  I,  even  I  only," 
said  he,  and  he  said  it  twice.  Why  did  Elijah  use  the 
letter  "  I "  too  often  ?  He  used  it  too  often  because 
he  was  in  despair,  and  his  spirits  were  as  low  as  they 
possibly  could  be.  It  was  the  result  of  the  terrible 
strain  he  had  gone  through  when  he  stood  alone  on 
Mount  Carmel  and  called  upon  God  to  show  Himself 
God  before  all  Israel. 

You  remember  the  st.ry  —  how  God  answered 
Elijah's  prayer  by  sending  down  fire  to  consume  the 
sacrifice,  and  how  the  eight  hundred  and  fifty  priests 
of  Baal  were  slain  as  a  consequence.  You  would  have 
expected  Elijah  to  be  triumphant,  wouldn't  you? 
Yes,  but  Elijah  was  an  "  up  and  down "  sort  of  man, 
and  instead  of  being  triumphant  he  got  very  depressed, 
and  saw  things  black,  and  said  to  God,  "  What  is  the 
use  of  all  that  happened  on  Mount  Carmel  ?  The 
people  of  Israel  don't  really  care.  They  haven't  given 
up  worshipping  Baal.  There  is  nobody  but  me  left 
in  all  Israel  to  worship  Thee." 

Well  God  told  Elijah  both  by  word  and  by  deed  that 


194  THE  LETTER  ''I" 

he  was  talking  very  foolishly,  and  He  told  him  that, 
so  far  from  his  being  the  only  person  to  worship  God 
in  all  Israel,  there  were  seven  thousand  others  who 
had  never  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal,  seven  thousand 
besides  himself  true  to  Jehovah. 

Now  why  we  are  too  fond  of  the  letter  "  I "  is  not 
usually  because  we  are,  like  Elijah,  in  low  spirits,  so 
that  our  self  suddenly  becomes  very  important  to  us. 
It  is  usually  because  we  think  ourselves  very  important 
all  the  time.  We  can't  look  at  the  world  and  the 
people  in  it  because  we  are  continually  gazing  at  our 
own  person,  and  it  is  filling  up  the  whole  of  the 
picture. 

A  certain  well-known  philosopher  told  of  himself 
that  when  he  was  quite  a  little  child  his  fath^  noticed 
that  as  he  was  sitting  quietly  by  the  fireside  he 
suddenly  tittered.  "Herbert,"  said  his  father,  "what 
are  you  laughing  at ? "  "I  was  thinking,"  replied 
Herbert,  "  how  it  would  have  been  if  there  had  been 
nothing  besides  myself." 

That  man  began  to  think  of  himself  and  forget 
others  when  he  was  a  tiny  fellow,  and  the  fault  grew 
till,  in  his  old  age,  life  became  a  weariness  and  a 
misery  because  he  could  not  think  of  anybody  but 
himself.  That  was  what  too  great  fondness  of  the 
letter  "  I "  did  for  Herbert  Spencer.  And  it  not  only 
destroyed  his  happiness,  it  destroyed  the  value  of  his 
work ;  for  he  wrote  the  story  of  his  own  life  and  it 
was  written  also  by  other  people,  and  when  the  world 


1  KINGS  XIX.   10  195 

got  to  know  the  conceit  and  self-importance  of  the 
man,  they  set  a  much  lower  value  on  his  books. 

Boys  and  girls,  the  next  time  you  are  tempted  to 
be  selfish,  or  greedy,  or  boasting,  or  important,  catch 
yourself  up.  Change  the  '*  I "  into  "  they."  Then 
instead  of  saying  "  /  must  come  first ! "  you  will  find 
yourself  saying  "  They  must  come  first ! "  instead  of 
"  I'm  going  to  have  the  sugariest  cakes  ! "  "  They  are 
going  to  have  the  sugariest  cakes  ! "  instead  of  "  I'm 
somebody  and  they  are  nobody ! "  "  They  are  some- 
body and  I  am  nobody." 

And  practise  what  you  say.  Learn  to  think  of 
yourself  second  and  other  people  first.  It  will  be  a 
hard  task  for  some  of  you,  but  if  you  learn  it 
thoroughly  it  will  be  the  grandest  lesson  you  ever 
mastered  in  your  life. 

And  111  tell  you  what  wiU  help  you  if  you  find  the 
learning  specially  difficult — remembering  Jesus  Christ, 
remembering  how  He  said,  "  Learn  of  me ;  for  I  am 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart." 

If  the  Son  of  God  was  ready  to  take  the  lowest 
place,  surely  we  should  be  proud  and  glad  and  eager 
to  follow  in  Hie  stepSb 


BOASTING. 

Let  not  hiin  that  g:irdeth  on  his  armour  boast  himself  as  he 
that  putteth  it  off.— i  Kings  xz.  ii. 

Benhadad,  king  of  Syria,  was  a  big  bully.  He  had 
invaded  Israel  with  an  army  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand  men  commanded  by  thirty-two  petty 
princes.  Ahab,  Icing  of  Israel,  had  only  a  small  follow- 
ing of  seven  thousand  men  and  he  had  shut  himself  up 
in  the  city  of  Samaria.  Benhadad  laid  siege  to  the 
city  and  when  he  thought  it  must  be  in  dire  straits, 
he  sent  bullying  messages  to  Ahab  demanding  his 
wives  and  his  children,  his  silver  and  his  gold. 

At  first  Ahab  was  so  terrified  that  he  consented.  "  My 
lord,  0  king,"  he  replied,  '*  according  to  thy  saying,  I 
am  thine,  and  aU  that  I  have."  But  when  Benhadad, 
pleased  with  this  success,  demanded  more  and  more, 
Allah's  spirit  was  roused  and  he  refused  to  comply. 

The  king  of  Syria  was  angry  and  he  began  to 
threaten  and  boast.  He  sent  to  Ahab  saying  that  he 
would  pound  Samaria  to  dust  and  that  he  had  so 
many  men  with  him  that  if  he  gave  merely  a  handful 
of  that  dust  to  each  of  them  there  would  not  be  enough 
to  go  round. 

It  was  then  that  Ahab  replied  in  the  words  of  our 
text — "  Let  not  him  that  gii'deth  on  his  armour  boast 


1  KINGS  XX.  11  197 

himself  as  he  that  putteth  it  off."     The  time  to  boast, 
he  meant,  is  when  you  have  won  the  victory. 

Well,  we  know  how  the  story  ended.  The  little 
army  of  the  Israelites  fell  upon  the  Syrians  at  noon 
when  they  were  not  expecting  them.  A  panic  ensued, 
the  Syrians  fled  pell-mell,  and  Benhadad  took  hasty 
flight  upon  the  first  I'orse  he  could  seize.  Like  most 
bullies  he  was  only  a  coward  at  heart 

Ahab'e  words  have  come  down  to  us  as  a  sort  of 
proverb,  and  although  they  were  spoken  by  a  very 
foolish  king,  they  are  very  wise  words.  "  Let  not  him 
that  girdeth  on  his  armour  boast  himself  as  he  that 
putteth  it  ofi"."  That  just  means — "  if  you  are  going  to 
boast  wait  till  you  have  something  to  boast  about." 
And  the  curious  thing  is  that  if  you  wait  till  then  the 
chances  are  you  will  never  boast  at  all.  For  it  isn't 
the  people  who  have  done  big  things  who  brag,  1  ut  the 
people  who  haven't  begun  to  try  to  do  them. 

Now  I  want  to  give  you  two  reasons  why  it  is  well 
not  to  boast,  and  the  first  is  that  hoastingj  like  pride, 
geiierally  goes  before  a  fall.  The  boasting  people  don't 
see  their  own  weakness,  so  of  course  they  don't  guard 
against  it  and  when  they  are  attacked  down  they  come 
at  the  first  blow.  It  was  like  that  with  Benhadad. 
He  was  so  very  sure  of  victory  that  he  took  his  ease 
and  sat  down  to  feast  and  drink  at  noon.  He  never 
dreamt  that  the  enemy  would  attack  him  in  the  heat 
of  the  day.     And  that  was  just  when  the  enemy  came. 

And  the  second]  reason  is  that  hoasting  is  very  oft&n^ 


198  BOASTING 

a  sign  of  weakness.  The  boys  and  girls  who  are  always 
talking  about  what  they  can  do  are  generally  the  ones 
who  accomplish  nothing. 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  rich  harper  of  Tarentum  ? 
Tarentum  was  a  city  in  ancient  Greece,  and  in  that 
city  there  dwelt  a  harper  who  thought  very  highly  of 
himself.  Now  a  big  competition  for  harpers  was 
going  to  take  place  at  a  town  called  Delphos^  and  a 
laurel  crown  was  to  be  given  to  the  competitor  who 
played  best  and  sang  most  sweetly. 

The  rich  harper  of  Tarentum  made  up  his  mind  that 
he  would  enter  the  competition.  But  he  thought  a 
laurel  crown  was  a  very  poor  reward  for  skill  in 
harping,  so  he  resolved  that  he  would  go  to  Delphos 
crowned  already  and  make  a  display  of  his  splendour. 

Over  his  shoulders  he  threw  a  cape  of  cloth  of  gold, 
and  on  his  head  he  placed  a  golden  crown  set  with 
emeralds.  He  took  a  harp  inlaid  with  jewels.  He 
rode  in  a  fine  chariot.     And  all  the  people  admired  him. 

At  last  he  reached  the  theatre  where  the  competi- 
tion was  to  take  place,  and  the  time  came  when  the 
competitors  were  called  upon  to  play.  When  the  rich 
man  stepped  forward  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  him 
and  the  people  waited  breathlessly  till  he  should 
begin.  But  when  his  fingers  smote  the  harp  they 
brought  forth  nothing  but  discord,  and  when  he  raised 
his  voice  to  sing  it  produced  the  most  hideous  sound. 
The  people  roared  with  laughter,  the  judges  drove  him 
from  the  theatre,  and  he  returned  to  Tarentum  with 
his  gold  crowu  all  on  one  side  of  his  head 


1  KINGS  XX.   11  199 

You  may  have  noticed  that  the  boys  and  girls  who 
boast  how  brave  they  would  be  if  they  met  a  wild 
beast  are  generally  the  ones  who  run  away  if  they 
meet  a  barking  dog.  The  really  brave  people  always 
think  they  have  accomplished  nothing.  It  is  always 
the  other  fellow  who  has  done  it. 

We  have  been  talking  about  foolish  boasting,  but 
there  is  a  kind  of  boasting  that  is  not  foolish.  You 
know  we  all  have  a  battle  to  fight  in  this  life — a  battle 
against  our  worst  selves,  a  battle  against  sin  and 
temptation.  And  if  we  go  into  this  fight  in  our  own 
strength  we  are  sure  to  be  beaten.  But  if  we  wear  the 
armour  that  Christ  gives  us  and  put  our  confidence  in 
Him  then  we  are  sure  to  win. 

Do  you  remember  how  Goliath  came  to  meet  David 
blustering  and  boasting  about  how  he  was  going  to 
give  his  flesh  to  the  fowls  of  the  air  and  the  beasts 
of  the  field  ?  That  was  one  kind  of  boasting.  And 
David  came  boasting  too,  but  not  in  his  own  strength. 
"Thou  comest  to  me/'  he  said,  "with  a  sword,  and 
with  a  spear,  and  with  a  shield :  but  I  come  to  thee 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the 
armies  of  Israel,  whom  thou  hast  defied.  This  day 
will  the  Lord  deliver  thee  into  mine  hand." 

That  is  the  kind  of  boasting  that  stands  the  test, 
because  it  is  boasting,  not  in  ourselves,  but  in  One 
who  cannot  fail.  And  if  we  have  this  confidence  it 
will  last  us  from  the  day  we  put  on  our  armour  till  the 
day  we  put  it  off  to  exchange  it  for  a  crown  of  victory. 


BUSYNESS  AND  BUSINESS. 

And  as  thy  servant  was  busy  here  and  there,  he  was  gone. — 

I  Kings  XX.  40. 

These  words  are  part  of  a  parable  which  was  spoken 
by  a  prophet  to  a  king  who  had  disobeyed  the  commands 
of  God. 

The  parable  tells  of  a  man  who  in  the  midst  of  a 
battle  had  an  important  prisoner  brought  to  him.  He 
was  told  that  he  must  guard  that  prisoner  at  all 
costs,  and  that,  if  the  captive  escaped,  his  own  life 
should  be  forfeit. 

At  first  he  was  most  watchful  and  careful,  but  by 
and  by  he  began  to  weary  of  his  task.  The  battle  was 
surging  past  him,  men  were  doing  glorious  deeds,  and 
here  was  he  condemned  to  keep  guard  over  a  silly  old 
prisoner !  Nothing  could  very  well  happen  to  the 
prisoner  right  there  in  the  middle  of  the  camp.  He 
vi^ould  go  and  strike  a  blow  for  freedom  and  for  fame. 

So  he  went.     He    performed   deeds   of    wonderful 

valour,  and  covered  himself  with  glory,  and  when  he 

returned — the  prisoner  was  gone  !     The  most  dangerous 

enemy   of  his   country   had    got  away,   and  disaster 

awaited  his  people. 

Now  will  you  notice  something  about  this  man  ?     It 

200 


1  KINGS  XX.   40  201 

dosen't  say  he  was  idle  when  the  prisoner  escaped,  it 
dosen't  aay  he  was  sleeping  or  playing,  it  says  he  was 
busy.  Yes,  but  he  was  busy  doing  something  that 
wasn't  his  business.  It  is  good  to  be  busy,  but  it 
is  not  good  to  be  busy  about  the  wrong  thing,  at  the 
wrong  time,  and  in  the  wrong  place. 

I  daresay  that  man  thought  that  the  work  he  chose 
for  himself  was  much  finer  and  grander  than  the  work 
he  had  been  set  t  do,  but  while  he  was  busy  doing 
the  thing  he  had  not  been  asked  to  do,  he  failed  in  the 
one  thing  he  had  been  asked  to  do. 

I  think  we  can  learn  two  lessons  from  the  story  of 
this  soldier  who  betrayed  his  trust. 

1.  We  can  be  disobedient  just  as  much  iu  doing 
what  we  are  Twt  told  to  do  as  in  doing  what  we  are 
told  not  to  do. 

When  a  sea-captain  sets  out  on  a  voyage  he  gets 
a  list  of  orders  from  the  owner  of  his  vessel.  These 
orders  he  must  obey  implicitly  and  exactly,  no  matter 
what  happens.  The  rule  is — "Obey  orders,  if  you 
break  owners." 

Now,  once  upon  a  time  the  owner  of  a  certain  vessel 
sent  the  captain  with  a  cargo  to  the  East  Indies.  The 
captain  had  orders  as  to  what  kind  of  cargo  he  was  to 
bring  back.  But  when  he  reached  his  destination  and 
had  unloaded,  he  saw  that  he  would  make  much  more 
money  for  his  master  by  bringing  back  a  different 
cargo  from  the  one  he  had  been  told  to  bring.  This 
.'le  did,  and  by  so  doing  he  made  two  thousand  pounds 


202  BUSYNESS  AND  BUSINESS 

more  money  than  he  would  have  done  had  he  obeyed 
orders. 

When  he  arrived  home  the  owner  of  the  vessel  paid 
him  his  wages  and  gave  him  in  addition  a  handsome 
present.  Then  he  dismissed  him.  The  captain  was 
astonished,  but  the  owner  said,  "  Sir,  I  cannot  have  a 
man  in  my  service  who  does  not  obey  orders.  This 
time  it  turned  out  well,  but  next  time  disobedience 
might  spell  ruin." 

One  of  our  poets  tells  the  story  of  a  man  whom  God 
sent  to  a  river  head  for  a  draught  of  water.  But 
when  the  man  got  there  he  saw  that  the  water  was 
muddy.  He  also  saw  lying  by  the  riverside  a  beautiful 
marble  cup.  And  he  said  to  himself,  "  What  can  God 
want  with  a  draught  of  muddy  water?  All  the  rivers 
on  the  earth  are  His.  I  will  take  Him  this  beautiful 
cup  instead.  It  is  a  much  finer  gift"  But  God  had 
asked  for  the  draught  of  water,  not  for  the  marble  cup, 
and  the  man's  gift  was  valueless. 

If  you  are  told  to  do  a  thing  and  do  something  else 
instead,  no  amount  of  fine  or  generous  things  you  may 
do  will  make  up  for  the  omission  of  the  thing  you 
ought  to  have  done.  Supposing  your  mother  sends 
you  to  buy  bread  for  tea  or  meat  for  dinner,  and  on 
your  way  you  pass  a  wood  where  some  beautiful  wild 
flowers  grow.  You  think  it  would  be  so  nice  to  bring 
her  a  bunch  of  those,  so  you  stop  and  fill  your  basket 
with  them  and  forget  all  about  your  message.  Do  you 
think  any  amoimt  of  fine  flowers  will  make  up  to  her 
for  the  dinner  you  didn't  bring  her  ? 


1  KINGS  XX.  40  203 

Don't  be  ashamed  to  obey,  boys  and  girls.  Be  one 
of  those  whom  others  can  trust  to  carry  out  an  order 
exactly.  Such  people  are  scarce  in  the  world — much 
scarcer  than  you  might  think — and  when  we  find  one 
of  them  we  prize  him  highly. 

2.  And  then  I  think  this  story  of  the  unfaithful 
soldier  teaches  us  that  the  duty  that  lies  tiearest  lis  is 
the  test  for  us  to  do.  If  this  man  had  stuck  to  his  post, 
if  he  hadn't  busied  himself  about  a  lot  of  things  he 
wasn't  asked  to  do,  the  prisoner  would  never  have 
got  away. 

There  are  a  lot  of  people  like  that.  They  are  so 
busy  dreaming  about  the  fine  things  they  will  do  by 
and  by  that  they  miss  the  opportunity  of  doing  the 
little,  humble,  necessary  services  that  lie  close  al 
hand. 

*«  To-day,"  said  pretty  Dolly,  as 

She  opened  wide  her  eyes, 
'*rm  going  to  give  my  dear  mamma 

A  beautiful  surprise. 
I  hardly  know  what  it  will  be. 

But  I  will  find  a  way 
To  do  some  great  and  noble  thing 

To  please  mamma  to-day. 

<*rm  tired  of  doing  little  things. 

Why,  any  one  can  sweep 
And  dost,  or  wipe  the  dishes  np^ 

Or  watch  the  baby  sleep. 
It's  some  big  thing  I  want  to  do. 

If  I  could  write  a  book. 
Or  save  the  house  from  burning,  now 

How  pleased  mamma  would  look  I" 


204  BUSYNESS  AND  BUSINESS 

So  after  breakfast  Dolly  went 

And  sat  beside  the  fire, 
While  mother  cleared  the  things  away. 

And  mended  baby's  tire ; 
She  wiped  the  dishes,  made  the  beds, 

And  braided  Bessy's  hair. 
While  Dolly  sat  and  pondered  long 

Within  her  easy  chair. 

And  so  she  dreamed  and  thought  and  planned 

The  busy  morning  tJaough ; 
But  could  not  think  of  anything 

Quite  big  enough  to  do  ! 
And  when  she  went  to  bed  at  night 

She  really  wondered  why, 
When  mother  kissed  her  kvingly. 

The  kiss  was  half  a  sigh  !  ^ 

Boys  and  girls,  take  your  heads  out  of  the  clouds. 
It  isn't  the  doing  of  the  far-away,  big  things  that  is  the 
finest  work  for  you,  it  is  the  doing  well  of  the  little 
things  that  lie  nearest  you.  If  you  neglect  these 
little  things,  however  commonplace  they  may  seem, 
then  you  have  failed  in  your  duty,  and  no  amount  of 
grand  deeds  will  ever  take  their  place. 

If  you  are  not  helpful  and  dutiful  and  loving  to 
your  father  and  mother,  kind  and  courteous  to  your 
brothers  and  sisters,  faithful  in  your  work,  then  none 
of  the  fine,  brave  things  you  imagine  you  are  going  to 
do  in  the  world  will  ever  make  up.  God  gives  most 
of  us  just  very  commonplace  tasks,  but  He  expects 
us  to  do  them  well.    We  must  see  to  it  that  we  do 

^  G.  M.  Cannon. 


1  KINGS  XX.   40  205 

thoroughly  the  little  bit  of  work  He  puts  before  us,  and 
some  day  perhaps  He  will  call  us  to  something  bigger. 

Just  one  thing  more.  The  man  in  the  story  was  too 
busy  to  do  the  thing  that  mattered  most.  And  there 
are  still  some  foolish  people  who  are  too  busy  to  do 
the  thing  that  matters  most  of  all — to  make  room  in 
their  lives  for  God. 

Boys  and  girls,  don't  make  that  mistake.  It  is  the 
biggest  one  you  could  possibly  make.  Let  God  into 
your  hearts  now,  while  they  are  young  and  fi'ee  and 
generous,  and  before  other  interests  come  in  to  crowd 
Him  out.  He  is  worthy  of  your  heart's  adoration,  of 
your  life's  service,  but  He  will  never  force  Himself  in. 
Will  you  open  the  door  of  your  heart  and  give  Him 
an  entrance?  It  will  never  be  easier  for  you  to  do 
it  than  now,  and  you  will  never  regret  ib. 


CHEATING  GOD. 

And  the  king;  of  Israel  said,  ...  I  will  disguise  myself,  and 
go  into  the  battle  ....  And  a  certain  man  drew  his  bow  at  a 
venture,  and  smote  the  king  of  Israel  between  the  joints  of  the 
harness.—!  Kings  xxii.  30,  34. 

Do  yon  ever  play  at  dressing-up  ?  Of  course  you  do. 
It  is  one  of  your  favourite  games.  You  ^Is  love  to 
get  hold  of  some  grown-up  clothes.  You  parade  up 
and  down  in  your  borrowed  finery,  tripping  over  your 
long  skirts,  but  admiring  yourself  tremendously  all  the 
while.  And  you  boys  are  not  above  the  game  of 
dressing-up  either.  When  you  were  very  tiny  the  gift 
of  a  soldier's  outfit  in  miniature  made  you  happy  for 
days,  especially  if  the  outfit  included  a  sword  or  a 
drum. 

What  is  half  the  charm  of  being  a  boy  scout  ?  Is 
it  not  just  the  wearing  of  that  fascinating  scout  hat  ? 
And  is  not  half  the  pleasure  of  being  a  girl  guide  the 
donning  of  that  smart  blue  uniform  ? 

Dressing-up  is  a  game  that  never  loses  ita  freshness. 
And  it  is  a  game  played  not  only  by  boys  and  girls.  It 
is  a  game  played  for  our  amusement  by  actors  and 
actresses.  It  is  a  game  played  in  grim  earnest  by  the 
men  of  our  Secret  Service  Department.  To  be  able  by 
dressiDg-up  to  disguise  themselves  and  appear  as  other 


1  KINGS  XXII.  30,  34  207 

people  is  absolutely  necessary  for  them.  It  means  the 
safety  of  the  messages  they  carry,  and  it  often  means 
the  safety  of  their  own  lives. 

Our  story  to-day  is  the  story  of  a  king  who  dressed 
up  to  save  his  life.  But  it  was  not  man  that  he  was 
trying  to  deceive,  it  was  God. 

His  name  was  Ahab.  He  was  king  of  the  Northern 
Kingdom  of  Israel,  and  a  very  splendid  and  mighty 
monarch  he  was  in  some  ways.  He  was  a  brave 
warrior  and  an  energetic  ruler,  and  he  strove  hard  to 
make  his  nation  powerful  and  famous.  He  was  a  great 
builder  too.  He  built  a  marvellous  palace  of  ivory — 
the  like  of  which  never  before  was  seen.  He  built  also 
a  beautiful  temple. 

And  that  brings  us  to  the  weak  point  in  his 
character.  For,  alas !  King  Ahab's  beautiful  temple 
was  not  built  in  honour  of  God.  It  was  built  in  honour 
of  the  false  god  Baal.  Ahab  knew  perfectly  that  God 
was  the  one  and  only  true  God,  and  yet  he  built  a 
temple  to  Baal  because  his  wife  wanted  him  to  do  it. 
She  was  a  heathen  princess  called  Jezebel,  and  matters 
stood  like  this.  Ahab  ruled  Israel,  but  Jezebel  ruled 
Ahab.  And  although  Ahab  knew  he  was  doing  wrong, 
he  stifled  his  conscience  and  went  on  doing  it 

God  gave  him  chance  after  chance  to  change  his 
wicked  ways.  God  sent  him  Elijah,  one  of  the  greatest 
prophets  in  Bible  history,  to  warn  him  to  repent.  But 
Ahab  deliberately  closed  his  ears  to  Elijah's  messages, 
and  went  on  sinning  and  teaching  his  foolish  people  to 
imitate  his  sins  and  worship  idols  too. 


208  CHEATING  GOD 

It  fell  on  a  day  that  Ahab  had  a  State  visit  from  his 
neighbour  the  good  king  Jehoshaphat,  the  king  of  the 
Southern  Kingdom  of  Judah.  King  Jehoshaphat's  son 
had  married  King  Ahab's  daughter,  so  the  two  kings 
were  related  by  marriage. 

Now,  some  time  previously  King  Ahab  had  been  at 
war  with  Benhadad,  the  king  of  Syria.  Ahab  had 
beaten  Benhadad  and  Benhadad  had  solemnly  promised, 
as  the  price  of  peace,  to  return  to  Israel  certain  cities 
which  Benhadad's  father  had  seized  in  an  earlier  war. 
But  Benhadad  had  failed  to  return  one  city  called 
Ramoth-gilead.  So  Ahab  suggested  to  Jehoshaphat 
that,  now  that  they  were  united  by  marriage,  they 
might  be  united  in  warfare  too.  He  asked  Jehoshaphat 
to  be  his  ally  and  go  with  him  to  fight  the  king  of 
Syria  and  regain  Kamoth-gilead.  Jehoshaphat  was 
quite  willing  to  help,  but  he  said  to  Ahab  that  it  would 
be  well  to  inquire  of  God  if  He  approved,  and  if  their 
plans  would  be  successful. 

Now  Ahab  was  not  sure  if  God  wauld  approve  of 
their  plans,  and  he  was  afraid  to  hear  what  God  might 
have  to  say  on  the  subject,  so  he  gathered  together 
four  hundred  prophets  who,  he  knew,  would  prophesy 
what  he  desired — a  good  ending  to  the  war.  But  he 
purposely  did  not  send  for  the  one  prophet  who,  he 
knew,  would  speak  the  truth  at  all  costs — a  prophet 
named  Micaiah. 

Jehoshaphat  somehow  was  not  satisfied  with  the  fair 
promises  of  the  four  hundred  who  all  foretold  a  great 
victory.     Their   words   were  too  fair.     So    he  asked 


1  KINGS  XXII.  30,  34  209 

Ahab  if  there  were  not  still  another  prophet  in  Israel. 
*'  Yes,"  said  Ahab,  "  there  is.  But  I  hate  him,  for  he 
prophesies  evil  about  me,  not  good."  But  Jehoshaphat 
pleaded  that  Micaiah  also  should  be  consulted,  and  so 
he  came  before  the  king.  And,  as  Ahab  feared,  he 
told  the  truth ;  and  a  very  unpleasant  truth  it  sounded, 
for  he  said  that  Ahab  would  be  killed,  and  his  army 
would  have  to  retreat. 

Naturally  Ahab  was  rather  upset  at  such  a  terrible 
prophecy,  but  he  went  on  with  his  preparations ;  and 
he  and  Jehoshaphat  went  up  to  Kamoth-gilead.  There 
Ahab  did  what  he  thought  a  clever  thing.  He  dressed 
up  as  a  common  soldier  and  went  into  battle  disguised 
instead  of  wearing  his  kingly  robes.  It  wasn't  that  he 
was  a  coward.  Not  a  bit  of  it !  But  he  thought  that 
if  he  were  dressed  as  another  man  than  the  king  of 
Israel,  God  would  not  know  him,  and  the  prophecy 
would  not  come  true. 

Now,  as  it  happened,  Benhadad  had  set  apart  cer- 
tain of  the  mightiest  men  expressly  to  look  for  Ahab. 
They  had  orders  to  seek  him  out  and  fight  with  him 
only.  When  these  men  saw  Jehoshaphat  in  his  kingly 
armour  they  mistook  him  for  Ahab,  and  for  a  time  they 
pursued  him;  but  by  and  by  they  found  out  their 
mistake  and  stopped  the  chase. 

Meantime  a  common  soldier,  who  had  been  aiming 
at  nobody  in  particular,  shot  an  arrow  into  the  crowd 
on  the  battlefield,  and  that  arrow  sped  straight  for  the 
disguised  king  and  pierced  between  the  joints  of  his 
armour.     It  pierced  so  deep  that  Ahab  knew  he  was 


210  CHEATING  GOD 

dying.  Then  he  did  a  brave  thing.  He  got  his  men 
to  prop  him  up  in  his  chariot  whilst  the  battle  swayed 
to  and  fro.  But  at  sunset  he  died  and  a  cry  rose 
from  the  hosts  of  Israel,  "Back  to  your  homes  and 
your  cities ! "  So  the  people  retreated  and  Micaiah's 
prophecy  was  fulfilled. 

Now  I  think  the  story  of  Ahab  tells  us  two  things. 

1.  The  first  is  that  we  cannot  deceive  God,  We  cannot 
cheat  Him  as  we  can  cheat  our  fellow-men.  Whatever 
we  wear,  and  whatever  we  may  be  doing  or  saying, 
Grod  sees  the  real  us.  He  knows  when  we  are  saying 
one  thing  aloud  and  thinking  another  secretly.  He 
does  not  look  at  what  we  appear.  He  looks  at  what  we 
ara  He  looks  straight  into  our  hearts  where  our 
motives  and  intentions  are  hidden,  and  He  sees  them 
and  not  the  deed  that  the  outside  world  sees.  And  it 
is  the  motive  or  intention  that  God  gives  us  credit  for, 
not  the  outward  deed. 

Once  there  was  a  certain  man  who  dropped  half  a 
sovereign  instead  of  a  sixpence  into  the  collection  bag. 
He  was  greatly  concerned  about  it,  and  actually  went 
the  length  of  trying,  after  service,  to  recover  it.  But 
the  man  in  charge  of  the  collection  rebuked  him,  and 
told  him  that  what  had  been  given  to  God  should  not 
be  asked  back  again.  "  Oh  !  well,"  said  the  mean  man, 
"  I'll  get  credit  for  it  in  heaven."  "  Will  you  ?  "  said 
the  other.  "  No,  you'U  get  credit  only  for  the  sixpence 
you  intended  to  give."  It  sounded  rather  hard,  but  it 
was  true.    You  can  never  cheat  God. 


1   KINGS  XXII.  30,  34  211 

2.  The  second  thing  the  story  of  Ahab  tells  us  is  that 
there  is  no  such  tking  as  charuse.  Everything  is  ordered 
by  God. 

When  George  Washington  was  a  little  fellow  (this  is 
not  the  axe  story !)  he  ran  out  to  the  garden  one  spring 
morning  and  stood  in  amazement  before  a  bed  of 
cabbages  whose  tiny  green  shoots  formed  the  letters 
of  his  own  name,  "George  Washington." 

"Father,  father!"  he  shouted,  "do  come  and  see 
this!" 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  asked  his  father. 

"The  cabbages  are  coming  up  and  writing  my 
name!"  cried  George. 

"  Very  curious  !  "  said  his  father. 

"  But  who  did  it  ? "  asked  the  boy. 

"  I  suppose  they  just  grew  so,"  said  his  father. 
"  Don't  you  think  they  came  up  that  way  by  cbanoe  ? " 

"  Oh  they  couldn't ! "  said  George.  "  They  couldn't 
possibly  grow  that  way  unless  someone  had  made 
them." 

"  Right,  my  boy,"  said  the  father.  "  I  planted  these 
cabbages  like  that  just  to  show  you  that  nothing  grows 
by  chance.     There  is  someone  who  plans  everything." 

No,  boys  and  girls,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  chance. 
There  is  someone  behind  everything.  Everything  is 
the  result  of  order.    And  God  is  behind  that  order. 


THE  LITTLE  WORD  "BUT." 

But  he  was  a  leper. — 2  Kings  v.  i. 

SOMjB  little  words  may  mean  a  great  deal.  "  But "  is 
one  of  them.  Many  things  have  been  said  about  it — 
''  The  little  word  that  spoils  the  music  " ;  "  The  word 
that  has  the  knack  of  spoiling  things,"  etc.  "But" 
has  a  bad  character.  And  indeed  it  is  in  this  light 
generally  think  of  it.  It  drops  into  speech  at  every 
turn ;  we  seem  to  have  heard  it  all  our  lives — "  Jack  is 
a  fine  fellow,  but " 

1,  It  certainly  spoilt  the  music  of  Naaman's  life. 
"We  are  told  of  his  greatness — he  was  a  great  captain, 
a  favourite  of  the  king,  and  famous  because  of  the 
victories  he  had  won.  Wealth,  titles — Naaman  had 
everything  but  one  to  place  him  among  the  proudest 
and  happiest  of  men. 

But  what  did  it  matter  though  he  had  a  great 
position,  much  popularity,  and  the  favour  of  the  king, 
when  all  the  time  he  was  suffering  from  one  of  the 
most  loathsome  of  diseases  ?  "  But  he  was  a  leper." 
That  "but"  was  sufficient  to  shut  out  all  brightness 
and  hope  from  his  life. 

Naaman  must  have  been  a  brave  man — a  "  plucky  " 

man,  as  we  say  sometimes.     Think  what  it  must  have 

212 


2  KINGS  V.  1  213 

meant  to  keep  doing  his  work  in  spite  of  such  a  terrible 
handicap.  Every  year  the  disease  would  gain  a 
stronger  hold  on  his  body.  He  was  like  a  soldier  who 
carried  a  golden  shield,  beautiful  to  the  world,  but  to 
the  soldier  himself  picturing  something  that  made  him 
sad  whenever  he  looked  at  it. 

I  once  knew  a  poor  little  girl  who  had  a  '*  but "  in 
her  life.  It  was  not  the  want  of  pretty  clothes,  nor 
was  it  the  fact  that  she  sometimes  got  very  small 
dinners.  No  one  played  games  with  greater  spirit 
than  she  did :  she  jumped  about  the  school  playground 
as  merrily  as  any.  But  at  home  in  the  evenings  there 
was  often  something  to  make  her  little  heart  sad.  Her 
mother  looked  sorrowful  and  careworn.  Father  drank, 
and  when  he  came  in  he  said  very  unkind  things  to 
everybody.  She  often  cried  at  such  times;  but  next 
day  she  would  be  as  bright  as  ever.  And  the  "  but " 
in  that  girl's  life  helped  to  make  her  a  woman  full  of 
sympathy  for  those  who  did  wrong. 

Let  me  tell  you  of  a  little  boy  who  lived  in  a  grand 
house.  He  had  everything  about  him  to  make  his  life 
happy.  If  you  had  seen  his  room,  you  would  have 
said,  "I  wish  I  had  all  the  toys  I  see  lying  about." 
But  you  would  have  felt  sorry  for  the  owner  of  them. 
He  could  not  rise  from  his  little  bed  in  the  corner ;  for 
he  took  hip  joint  disease  when  he  was  quite  a  wee 
fellow.  His  "  but,"  like  that  of  the  little  girl,  was 
doing  a  splendid  thing  for  him ;  it  was  making  him  a 
brave  soldier.  Even  if  he  could  not  fight,  he  had 
become  "  plucky  "  like  the  Syrian  captain.     Grown-up 


214  THE  LITTLE  WORD  "BUT" 

people  used  to  come  and  sit  beside  him  sometimes, 
they  felt  that  the  sight  of  that  little  boy's  courage  did 
them  good. 

There  are  "  buts,"  however,  that  boys  and  girls  are 
better  without.  We  need  to  remember  these  when  we 
say  our  prayers.  "  Annie  is  a  clever  girl,  but  so  care- 
less." Carelessness  may  lead  to  sin.  "Frank  is  a 
likeable  boy,  but  you  can  never  quite  depend  on  what 
he  says.**  A  tendency  to  untruthfulness  means  that 
the  boy  or  girl  who  has  it  is  on  the  road  to  become  a 
deceiver.  I  like  to  think  of  a  boy  I  heard  of,  who  waa 
very  ambitious  to  get  to  the  top  of  his  class.  He  was 
the  youngest  in  the  class.  His  teacher  told  a  friend 
that  one  day  she  asked  the  boys  to  spell  a  somewhat 
unusual  word.  One  after  another  they  missed  it 
Then  it  came  to  Alec's  turn.  He  made  his  attempt 
and  the  teacher  said,  "  Eight !  go  up,"  and  feeling  very 
proud  he  marched  to  the  position  he  had  coveted. 
Then  the  teacher  said,  "  I  shall  write  it  on  the  black- 
board for  you  all  to  see."  As  she  wrote.  Alec  watched. 
Presently  he  saw  the  letters  "LE."  Without  a 
moment's  hesitation  he  cried,  "  Oh,  I  said  *  E.L',"  and 
down  he  walked  to  his  old  position.  His  teacher  felt 
proud  of  him :  she  knew  what  it  had  cost  him,  and 
that  he  would  be  feeling  that  it  made  him  look  small 
in  the  eyes  of  his  classmates.  But  doing  the  right 
thing  would  in  time  become  easy  to  Alec,  for  Grod 
would  help  him. 

A  true  follower  of  Jesus  Christ  should  have  no 
"but"  in  his  character.    Your  companions  may  be 


2  KINGS  V.  1  215 

ready  with  their  "  buts "  when  they  speak  of  you,  but 
if  you  ask  God  to  help  you  to  be  like  Jesus  Christ,  it  is 
only  God's  judgment  you  have  to  think  of.  When  a 
great  and  good  man  was  newly  buried,  an  onlooker 
said,  "  Here  lies  one  who  never  feared  the  face  of  man." 
He  had  lived  as  in  the  presence  of  God.  Boya  and 
girls,  remember  that. 


SOME  GREAT  THING. 

If  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing,  wouldest 
thou  not  have  done  it? — 2  Kings  v.  13. 

Here  is  a  man  who  was  told  to  do  a  litfele  thing  and 
found  it  more  difficult  than  doing  a  big  one.  It  seems 
stupid,  doesn't  it  ?  You  think  it  would  have  been  so 
easy  for  him  to  go  and  bathe  in  Jordan,  and  that  he 
would  have  been  glad  to  do  it  to  be  made  well  again. 
But  it  was  just  because  it  was  so  easy  that  he  couldn't 
do  it. 

You  see  Naaman  was  a  very  great  man  in  his 
own  country  and  much  thought  of.  He  had  travelled 
hundreds  of  miles  to  see  Elisha.  He  was  accompanied 
by  a  grand  escort  and  had  brought  many  valuable 
presents,  and  he  thought  the  prophet  would  make  a 
great  fuss  over  him.  But  Elisha  did  not  even  come  to 
see  him.  He  just  sent  a  messenger  to  tell  him  to  dip 
seven  times  in  the  river  Jordan. 

I  suppose  Naaman  fancied  Elisha  was  slighting  him 
or  making  fun  of  him,  so  he  was  angiy  and  would  not 
go  to  the  Jordan.  If  he  had  been  asked  to  do  some- 
thing big,  or  difficult,  or  heroic,  he  could  have  done  it, 
but  he  would  not  do  the  little,  simple,  commonplace 
thing.     Fortunately  he  thought  better  of  his  decision 

216 


2  KINGS  V.  13  217 

and,  on  fciie  advice  of  his  followers,  went  and  dipped  in 
Jordan  and  was  made  whole. 

I  wonder  if  we  are  ever  like  Naaman.  Ye8,  I'm 
afraid  we  are  sometimes.  We  like  to  do  the  big  things, 
the  things  that  make  a  nuise  and  a  show,  and  we  think 
the  little,  quiet,  everyday  things  are  not  worth  doing. 
Now  that  is  a  foolish  and  mistaken  idea  a»d  a  great 
many  grown-up  people  have  caused  thems^ree  and 
others  much  unhappiness  by  cherishing  it  I  ^ould 
like  you  to  start  right  by  never  letting  it  into  your 
head  at  all,  ao  I  want  you  to  try  and  remember  three 
facts  about  little  things. 

1.  First,  remember  it  is  the  little  things  that  mcbke  up 
life. — Perhaps  you  will  never  be  required  to  do  a  great 
thing,  a  thing  that  the  world  will  hear  about  and  talk 
about,  but  you  will  be  called  to  do  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  little  things,  little  everyday  teusks  that 
nobody  sees  or  applauds,  and  it  is  the  doing  of  those 
trifles,  especially  the  way  you  do  them,  that  goes  to 
form  that  wonderful  building  we  call  chaj^oter. 

Did  you  eTer  hear  how  the  beautiful  cathedral  of 
St.  Paul's  in  London  came  to  be  built  ?  Did  you  know 
that  it  was  built  of  sixpences?  That  seems  queer, 
doesn't  it?     Shall  I  tell  you  how  it  happened? 

Long  ago,  when  it  was  settled  that  the  cathedral  was 
to  be  built,  a  tax  of  sixpence  was  put  on  efwjh  ton  of 
coal  which  was  brought  into  the  port,  and  the  money 
that  was  gained  in  this  way  went  to  pay  for  the 
building  of  the  cathedral.    Just  one  little  sixpence 


218  SOME  GREAT  THING 

after  another,  each  one  of  very  little  value,  r  ad  yet 
they  helped  to  erect  one  of  the  grandest  buildings  in 
the  world !  Your  life  may  be  just  as  grand  and  noble 
as  St  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  yet  it  may  be  built  out  of 
small  things  as  the  cathedral  was. 

2.  But,  second,  sometimes  it  is  the  little  things  that 
are  the  big  things. — Now  what  do  we  mean  by  that  ? 
Well  it  is  often  easier  to  do  a  fine,  heroic  thing  once  in 
a  while  than  to  do  the  little  commonplace,  dull  things 
of  everyday  life. 

Can  3^ou  control  your  temper  ?  That  may  seem  a 
little  thing,  but  it  is  a  big  thing.  Can  you  be  kind 
and  patient,  day  after  day,  when  other  people  are 
annoying  ?  Can  you  learn  that  wearisome  lesson,  or 
toil  through  that  dull  task  without  grumbling  ?  Can 
you  give  up  little  pleasures  now  and  again  for  the  sake 
of  somebody  else  and  do  it  with  a  smile  ? 

Do  you  think  there  is  nothing  grand  about  all  that  ? 
There  are  few  things  grander !  It  isn't  easy  to  be  a 
hero  in  everyday  life  when  nobody  seems  to  be  looking 
on  and  there  is  nobody  to  applaud.  But  God  is  look- 
ing on  and  I  think  one  of  the  surprises  we  shall  get  in 
heaven  will  be  to  know  what  God  counts  little  and 
what  He  counts  big. 

3.  Once  more,  I  want  you  to  remember  that  it  doesn't 
matter  whether  things  seem  big  or  little,  important  or 
unimportant ;  if  they  lie  in  our  path,  God  has  put  them 
there  for  us  to  do  and  it  is  our  business  to  do  them. 


2  KINGS  V.  13  219 

I  was  reading  a  sort  of  parable  the  other  day  about 
a  boy  who  wanted  to  do  big  things  and  who  omitted 
to  do  the  little  thing  that  lay  nearest  and  that 
mattered  most  just  then.  His  dream  was  to  go  out 
into  the  world  and  give  his  life  to  doing  good  works 
among  the  poor  and  needy.  Well,  that  was  a  very 
good  ambition,  but  he  made  one  mistake,  as  you  shall 
hear. 

One  night  as  he  knelt  in  prayer  asking  that  the 
opportunity  might  be  givi^u  him  to  carry  out  his  desires 
an  angel  appeared  to  him,  and  in  his  hand  was  a 
beautiful  amethyst  ring.  The  angel  told  the  boy  that 
his  prayers  had  been  answered,  that  he  was  to  go  out 
into  the  world  to  do  good  works,  but  that  there  was  a 
bit  of  work  close  at  hand  that  badly  needed  doing,  and 
when  he  had  finished  that  he  should  find  the  amethyst 
ring. 

Next  morning  he  told  his  mother  about  the  angel's 
visit  and  that  he  must  go  forth  that  day  to  begin  his 
life  of  charity.  She  gave  him  her  blessing  and  told 
him  to  go.  *  But,"  shje  added,  "  there  is  just  one  thing 
I  should  like  you  to  do  before  you  leave.  That 
stagnant  pool  in  front  of  the  cottage  has  been  smelling 
very  badly  lately.  It  is  overpowering  the  scent  of  the 
roses  and  the  honeysuckle,  and  I  am  afraid  it  may 
breed  some  plague.  I  should  like  you  to  remove  it 
before  you  set  out." 

The  boy  replied  that  he  had  no  time  to  stay,  and 
that  he  was  sure  clearing  out  the  pool  would  make  him 
feel  ilL     So  he  went  away  without  removing  it. 


220  SOME  GREAT  THING 

For  Many  years  he  travelled  up  and  down  the  land, 
and  everywhere  he  went  he  did  good  works.  Many 
were  helped  and  blessed  by  him,  and  be  earned  a  great 
name.  At  last,  one  day  he  came  again  to  his  mother's 
village.  But  he  found  the  cottage  in  rnine  and  was 
told  that  his  mother  had  died  long  sinoe.  When  he 
asked  the  neighbours  how  she  died,  they  replied  that 
she  had  euocumbed  to  a  plague  caused  by  the  cesspool 
in  front  of  her  cottage,  and  that  many  more  people  in 
^he  villa^  h^d  died  of  the  same  trouble.  The  cesspool 
nad  sinoe  been  covered  over,  but  some  people  thought 
it  should  be  removed  altogether. 

Then  the  man  remembered  his  mother's  request  and 
he  was  exceedingly  sorry.  He  set  to  work  that  day 
to  remove  the  pool,  and  at  the  bottom  he  found  the 
wonderful  amethyst  ring. 

So  don*t  think  that  what  you  d©  or  don't  do 
doesn't  oount.  The  duty  that  is  neareftt,  however 
commonplaoe  and  trifling  it  may  seem,  ie  the  most 
important  one  for  you.  If  you  do  it  the  wcarld  will  be 
so  much  the  happier  and  better ;  if  yon  laii  to  do  it 
it  will  be  so  much  the  poorer. 

One  stitch  dropped  as  the  weaver  drove 

His  needle  shuttle  to  and  fro, 
In  and  out,  beneath,  above, 

Till  the  pattern  seemed  to  bud  and  grow 
As  if  the  fairies  had  helping  been ; 
And  the  one  stitch  dropped  pulled  the  n^it  stitoh  out. 
And  a  weak  place  grew  in  the  fabric  sfeoi^; 
And  the  perfect  pattern  was  marred  for  aye 
By  tJto  one  small  stitch  that  was  dropped  that  day. 


2  KINGS  V.  13  221 

One  email  life  in  God's  great  plan, 

How  fntile  it  seems  as  the  ages  roll. 

Do  what  it  may,  or  strive  how  it  can, 

To  alter  the  sweep  of  the  infinite  whole  I 

A  single  stitch  in  an  endless  web ; 

A  drop  in  the  ocean's  flow  and  ebb"; 

But  the  pattern  is  rent  where  the  stitch  is  lost, 

Or  marred  where  the  tangled  threads  hare  crossed ; 

And  each  life  that  fails  of  the  true  intent, 

M&rs  the  perfect  plan  that  its  Master  meant.  ^ 


^  Susan  Coolidge. 


SEEING  THE  UNSEEN. 

Lord,    I    pray   thee,    open   his   eyes,  that   he   may   see.— 
2  Kings  vi.  17. 

How  much  do  you  see  ?  Do  you  see  half  of  what  is  to 
be  seen  ?  Or  all  that  is  to  be  seen  ?  Or  more  than 
is  to  be  seen  ?  These  are  the  three  kinds  of  eyesight, 
and  you  must  have  one  or  other  of  the  three. 

1.  Perhaps  the  greatest  number  of  people  in  the 
world  have  the  first  kind  of  eyesight.  They  see  only 
the  half  of  what  is  to  be  seen.  They  look,  for  instance, 
at  a  flower,  but  they  don't  really  see  it.  If  you  asked 
them  to  draw  it  for  you  or  describe  it  to  you,  ten 
chances  to  one  they  would  give  it  seven  petals  instead 
of  five,  and  those  petals  would  not  be  the  correct 
shape.  Then  they  would  make  it  grow  on  a  wrong 
stem,  and  the  leaves  would  be  smooth  instead  of  hairy. 
These  people  had  looked  but  they  had  not  noticed; 
and  noticing  is  the  better  half  of  seeing. 

About  the  middle  of  last  century  there  lived  a  very 

famous   Swiss  professor  called   Agassiz.      He  was  a 

great   student   of    Natural    History,   and   among   the 

subjects   that  he   studied  most   closely   was  the  life 

history  of  the  fish.     He  knew  all  that  there  was  to 

know  about  the  fishes  that  live  in  our  day  and  the 

fishes  that  lived  in  the  days  before  man  was. 

It  is  told  of  him  that  he  used  to  give  a  fish  to  one 

222 


2  KINGS  VI.  17  223 

of  his  students  and  tell  him  to  take  it  away  and  study 
it  for  a  whih.  When  the  student  came  back  Agassiz 
would  ask  him  what  he  had  seen  about  the  fish.  The 
student  would  say  he  had  seen  this  and  that,  and 
Agassiz  would  ask,  "  What  else  ?  "  The  student  would 
come  at  last  to  the  end  of  what  he  had  seen,  but 
Agassiz  would  send  him  back  to  study  the  creature 
again.  A  second  time  the  student  would  return  and 
Agassiz  would  ask  what  he  had  seen  now,  and  the 
student  would  reply  he  had  noticed  this  and  that 
besides.  And  again,  when  he  had  come  to  the  end  of 
what  he  had  seen,  Agassiz  would  send  him  back  to 
look  a  third  time;  and  so  on — till  the  student  was 
astonished  to  know  how  much  there  was  to  see  in  an 
ordinary  fish.  "  Ah ! "  Agassiz  would  say,  "  it  has 
been  there  all  the  time  but  you  didn't  look  close 
enough  to  discover  it." 

2.  The  second  kind  of  eyesight  is  the  eyesight  that 
sees  all  that  is  to  be  seen.  It  notices  and  remembers. 
It  sees  an  object  and  it  immediately  stores  up  a  little 
picture  of  that  object  with  every  detail  complete.  It 
is  a  very  valuable  kind  of  eyesight,  and  the  hopeful 
thing  about  it  is  that  if  you  haven't  got  it  naturally, 
you  can  train  yourself  to  have  it. 

Have  any  of  you  read  Kipling's  book,  Kim  ?  The 
story  tells  how  Kim,  when  a  boy,  was  trained  to  have 
the  eyesight  that  notices.  He  was  sent  up  to  Simla 
and  there  he  was  put  in  charge  of  an  extraordinary 
man,  called  Lurgan  Sahib,  who  taught  him  how  to  see. 
Kim  and  a  little  native  lad  were  set  to  play  what  they 


224  SEEING  THE  UNSEEN 

called  "  the  jewel  game."  Lurgan  Sahib  would  make 
a  collection  of  small  objects,  such  as  precious  stones, 
and  he  would  give  both  boys  a  look  at  them,  and  then 
he  would  ask  them  to  describe  the  stones  from  memory. 
At  first  the  little  Hindu  boy  always  beat  Kim  at  the 
game.  But  in  the  end  Kim  learned  to  play  the  game 
of  noticing  so  magnificently  that  when  he  grew  older 
he  was  able  to  do  most  valuable  work  for  the  British 
Government. 

Boys  and  girls,  train  yourselves  to  notice.  The 
world  is  rich  in  exquisite  details  if  only  we  open  our 
eyes  to  see  them. 

3.  But  the  third  kind  of  eyesight  is  the  most 
important  as  it  is  the  most  precious.  It  is  the  eye- 
sight of  our  text — the  eyesight  that  sees  the  unseen. 

The  text  is  a  prayer  of  the  prophet  Elisha.  At  this 
time  EHsha's  life  was  in  great  danger  from  the  king  of 
Syria,  The  king  of  Syria,  who  was  Israel's  enemy, 
had  disoovered  that  the  most  private  plane  he  made 
to  surprise  the  Israelites  were  foiled  by  Elisha.  Not 
that  Elisha  spied !  But  God  allowed  him  to  know  all 
the  Syrians*  plans,  and  he  told  them  to  the  king  of 
Israel  So  the  king  of  Syria  sent  a  special  force  to 
capture  the  prophet,  who  was  then  living  in  Dothan,  a 
city  tweire  miles  north  of  Samaria. 

During  the  darkness  of  one  night  the  Syrians 
stealthily  and  noiselessly  surrounded  the  city,  which 
was  built  on  a  mound.  There  they  were  discovered 
in  the  grey  dawn  of  the  morning  by  Elisha's  servant, 
who  rushed  in  terror  to  his  master,  crying,  "  Alas,  my 


2  KINGS   VI.   17  225 

master !  how  shall  we  do  ? "  He  was  sure  that  thek  last 
hour  had  oomei  But  the  prophet  only  smiled  quietly. 
"  Fear  not,"  said  he,  "  for  they  that  be  with  us  are  more 
than  they  that  be  with  them."  And  then  he  prayed 
"  Lord,  I  pray  thee,  open  his  eyes,  that  he  may  see." 

And  the  next  moment  the  young  man  was  orying 
out,  not  in  terror  but  in  amazement,  for,  round  about 
the  city,  enc^roling  it  more  closely  even  thesD.  the 
Syrians,  was  a  host  of  chariots  and  horses  of  fire  The 
Syrians  were  still  there,  but  the  young  man  saw  that 
something  greater  than  the  Syrians  lay  between  them 
and  his  master.  God  Himself  had  sent  His  legions  to 
protect  and  shield  His  prophet.  God  had  not  deserted 
them.     He  was  with  them  in  the  danger. 

Now  the  eyesight  that  God  gave  to  that  young  man 
is  the  eyesight  I  want  you  to  have — the  eyesight  Uiat 
sees  God  and  God's  love  in  everything. 

When  Jean  Francis  Millet,  the  great  French  artist, 
was  a  little  fellow,  he  and  his  father  stood  on  the  cliffs 
one  night  to  watch  the  sunset.  The  wonderful  crimson 
of  the  sky  and  the  golden  glory  of  the  sea  made 
Francois  cry  out  with  delight.  But  his  father  stood 
still  and  bared  his  head.    "  My  son,"  said  he,  "  it  is  God." 

Boys  and  girls,  T  want  you  to  see  in  all  the  happen- 
ings of  your  life,  the  beautiful  things  and  the  glad 
things — ay,  and  the  perplexing  things  and  the  sad 
things — God  Himself — God  giving,  God  guiding,  God 
loving.  For  if  we  see  God  with  the  eyes  of  faith  liere 
below,  we  shall  be  getting  ready  to  see  Him  as  He  is 
by  and  by,  when  He  takes  us  to  live  with  Him  for  ever. 


THE  KING'S  CROWN. 

Tiseii  he  brought  out  the  kind's  son,  and  pat  the  crown 
upon  him.— 2  Kings  xi.  Z2. 

Did  you  ever  notice  how  many  different  kinds  of 
crowns  are  mentioned  in  the  Bible?  There  are  the 
king's  crown,  and  the  priest's  crown,  and  the  victor's 
cro^  •  There  is  the  crown  of  thorns  which  Jesus  wore. 
And  asides  these  we  read  of  a  "  crown  of  glory,"  a 
''  orown  of  righteousness,"  and  a  "  crown  of  life." 

Now  you  know  that  a  crown  is  not  just  a  mere 
meaningless  ornament  like  a  necklace  or  a  bracelet. 
It  stands  for  power,  or  honour,  or  victory,  or  consecra- 
tion. It  is  the  sign  or  symbol,  as  we  say,  of  some- 
thing else.  And  so  I  should  like  to  tell  you  about 
some  of  these  crowns — what  they  stand  for,  and  how 
we  too  can  wear  them.  ^ 

I  think  we  shall  begin  with  the  king's  crown, 
because  it  is  the  one  we  all  know  best.  The  king's 
crown  has  had  rather  a  curious  history.  First  of  all 
it  was  just  a  band  or  fillet  of  silk  or  linen  which  was 
bound  round  the  head  and  fastened  behind.  Such  a 
fillet  was  worn  as  a  badge  of  royalty  by  the  Persian 
monarchs.  The  Greeks  called  it  diadema  which  just 
means  "  something  bound  round  " ;  and  it  is  from  this 

226 


2  KINGS  XI.   12  227 

Greek  word  that  our  English  word  "  diadem  "  oomes 
Sometimes  these  royal  fillets  were  beautifully 
embroideied  or  even  studded  with  jewels,  but  they 
must  have  looked  very  different  from  the  crowns  we 
know. 

From  the  Persians  the  custom  of  wearing  this  royal 
badge  spread  to  other  nations,  and  it  was  most  probably 
with  just  such  a  fillet  that  the  little  king  in  our  text 
was  crowned.  Some  people  say  that  this  was  also  tlie 
form  of  the  diadems  of  our  own  early  Saxon  kings. 

By  and  by  a  band  of  gold  took  the  place  of  the  band 
of  silk  or  linen.  Then  by  degrees  ornaments  were 
added,  and  additions  were  made  to  this  plain  band, 
until  at  last  it  grew  into  the  crown  as  we  know  it^ 

Now  perhaps  you  may  think  that  all  this  is  quite 
interesting,  but  it  hasn't  got  very  much  to  do  with 
you  or  me.  We  are  not  born  kings,  you  say,  we  are 
just  very  plain,  ordinary,  everyday  sort  of  people,  and 
we  shall  never  have  the  chance  of  wearing  a  crown. 

Well,  let  me  tell  you  a  secret.  You  are  not  born  a 
king,  but  you  are  born  to  he  a  king.  That  is  what  God 
meant  you  to  be,  and  it  depends  on  yourself  whether 
you  will  be  one  or  not.  Shall  I  tell  you  the  name  of 
the  kingdom  over  which  you  are  called  to  rule  ?  It  is 
the  kingdom  of  Self,  and  that  is  a  very  big  and  difficult 
kingdom  to  control 

Some  people  are  quite  content  to  be  slaves  instead 
of  kings.  They  let  Self  rule  them  instead  of  ruling 
Self.  They  are  like  the  lion  in  a  story  I  read  the 
other  day  that  wanted  to  turn  things  upside  down. 


228  THE  KING'S  CROWN 

loag,  long  ago  there  stood  at  the  gate  of  a  walled 
city  a  beautiful  statue.  It  was  carved  in  marble  and 
it  represented  a  man  and  a  lion.  The  man  was  stand- 
ing with  his  foot  on  the  lion  to  show  that  he  had 
conquered  it.  But  one  day,  so  the  story  goes,  a  real 
live  lion  came  past  that  way.  He  stopped  to  look  at 
the  statue  and  this  is  what  he  growled :  "  Silly  sort  of 
idea  that ;  but  it's  just  like  these  humans  !  Now  if  / 
had  oeo*ved  that  statue,  I'd  have  had  the  man  lying 
down  and  the  lion  with  his  paw  on  him."  And  so  I 
daresay  he  would ! 

But  you  see  we  are  not  meant  to  let  the  lion  or  any 
oth^  kind  of  beast  get  the  better  of  us,  you  and  I ;  we 
are  meant  to  get  the  better  of  them.  We  are  not 
meant  to  let  our  angry  passions,  or  our  iselfish  wishes, 
or  our  bad  desires  conquer  us;  we  are  meant  to 
conquCT  them.  We  are  not  called  to  be  slaves,  we  are 
called  to  be  kings  and  conquerors. 

But  there  is  one  thing  we  must  remember,  boys  and 
girls.  If  we  want  to  be  kings  and  queens,  real  kings 
and  queens,  we  must  have  the  kingly  heart. 

Once  the  soldiers  of  Alexander  the  Great  complained 
to  him  that  one  of  his  generals,  Antipater,  did  not  dress 
grandly  enough.  They  themselves  were  decked  out  in 
the  purple  of  conquerors,  but  he  was  plainly  and 
soberly  clad.  And  what  do  you  think  Alexander 
replied  ?  "  Antipater,"  he  said,  "  is  all  purple  within." 
Antipftter  wore  the  royal  colour,  the  colour  of  the 
conqueror,  on   his   heart;   he   had   the   noble,  kingly 


2  KINGS  XL   12  229 

heart,  and   that  counted  for  far  more   than  outward 
show. 

And  where  can  we  get  this  kingly  heart  ?  From 
the  King  of  kings  and  from  Him  alone.  On  the 
reverse  side  of  gold  and  silver  articles  there  used  to 
be  stamped  a  likeness  of  the  head  of  the  reigning 
sovereign.  That  showed  that  duty  had  been  paid  to 
him.  Boys  and  girls,  if  we  want  to  carry  the  kingly 
heart,  then  we  must  ask  the  King  of  kings  to  stamp 
His  likeness  on  us.  Then,  and  only  then,  shall  we  be 
fit  to  wear  the  royal  crown.^ 

^  The  texts  of  the  other  sermons  in  this  senes  are  £xod. 
xxxix.  30,  John  xix.  2, 1  Cor.  iz.  26. 


MONEY-BOXES. 

Jehoiada  the  priest   took  a  chest,  and    bored  a  hole  in  the 
lid  of  it. — 2  King's  xii.  9. 

Did  you  know  that  a  money-box  was  mentioned  in  the 
Bible  ? — one  with  a  hole  in  the  lid  too !  You  will  find 
all  about  it  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  Second  Book 
of  Kinga  If  you  look  at  the  ninth  verse  you  will  see 
that "  Jehoiada  the  priest  took  a  chest,  and  bored  a  hole 
in  the  lid  of  it,  and  set  it  beside  the  altar,  on  the  right 
side  as  one  eometh  into  the  house  of  the  Lord :  and 
the  priests  that  kept  the  doo»r  put  therein  all  the 
money  that  was  brought  into  the  house  of  the  Lord." 
The  chest  with  the  hole  in  the  lid  was  a  kind  of 
collection  plate.  It  stood  in  the  Temple,  and  the 
people  gave  the  priests  their  offerings  to  put  into  it. 
When  it  was  full  it  was  carried  away  to  the  palace  of 
the  king  himself,  and  the  high  priest  and  the  king's 
chancellor  opened  it  there,  and  counted  the  offerings  in 
the  chest,  and  tied  them  up  in  bags.  Then  they  used 
the  money  to  pay  for  repairing  and  beautifying  the 
Temple,  which  at  that  time  was  sadly  in  need  of 
repair. 

Now,  our  text  makes  us  think  of  money-boxes  and 

savings-banks,  and  I  want  to  talk  to  yon  about  them 

S80 


2  KINGS  XII.  9  231 

for  a  little  while  this  morning.  If  you  come  to  think 
of  it  there  are  just  three  things  you  can  do  with  your 
money. 

1.  The  first  thing  is — spend  it.  That  is  the  shortest 
way  to  dispose  of  it.  You  keep  it  only  long  enough  to 
see  whether  it  is  a  penny  or  a  sixpence,  and  then  you 
fly  along  to  the  nearest  shop  and  buy  something  with 
it,  and  you  don't  see  that  penny  or  that  sixpence  any 
more. 

2.  The  second  thing  is — save  it.  You  put  the  penny 
or  the  sixpence  into  your  savings-bank.  At  first  sight 
this  does  not  seem  at  all  a  nice  way  to  dispose  of  your 
money.  In  fact  you  grudge  horribly  hiding  it  away 
in  a  box,  and  you  drop  it  very  slowly  into  the  hole 
especially  if  the  box  is  one  that  needs  to  be  broken 
before  you  can  get  the  money  out  again.  Putting  the 
money  in  there  makes  it  feel  so  horribly  safe.  Yes, 
but  then  it  is  safe,  and  you  look  forward  to  the  day 
when  you  will  see  it  once  more.  And  as  the  bank 
grows  heavier  you  begin  to  be  keener  on  adding  to  its 
store,  and  you  grow  rather  proud  of  it,  and  try  to  count 
up  how  much  there  is  inside.  It  is  quite  easy  to  re- 
member that  one  half-crown  and  those  three  shillings, 
but  the  sixpences  are  rather  difficult,  and  when  you 
come  to  the  pennies  you  get  dreadfully  mixed  and  give 
it  up. 

At  last  the  glorious  day  arrives  when  the  box  is  to  be 
opened.  Father  or  mother  does  it  for  you ;  and  as  you 
watch  the  coins  tumble  in  a  heap  on  the  table,  and  as 
you  pile  them  up,  each  after  its  kind,  till  the  penny 


232  MONEY-BOXES 

pile  threatens  to  topple  over,  you  feel  it  has  been 
worth  denying  yourself  all  those  little  things  you  might 
have  bought,  for  now  you  will  be  able  to  buy  some- 
thing of  real  value. 

If  you  haven't  got  a  savings-bank  already,  start  one 
as  soon  as  you  can.  It  is  a  grand  habit  to  be  able  to 
deny  yourself  to-day  for  the  sake  of  to-morrow.  Of 
course  I  don't  ask  you  to  drop  in  every  penny  and 
every  sixpence.  I  don't  wish  you  to  grow  greedy  of 
money  or  mean  in  spending  it.  That  would  be  ten 
times  worse  than  spending  your  money  foolishly. 

3.  But  there  is  a  third  thing  you  can  do  with  your 
money,  and  it  is  better  than  spending  it  or  saving  it. 
You  can  put  it  in  God's  bank.  What!  Has  God  a 
savings-bank  ?  Certainly  He  has.  And  every  penny 
you  give  away  to  others  goes  straight  into  it.  By 
giving  it  away  you  are  not  losing  it,  you  are  just 
giving  it  to  God  to  keep.  That  sounds  wonderful,  but 
it  is  true.  It  is  a  splendid  thing  to  have  a  savings- 
bank  on  the  dining-room  mantelpiece,  but  it  is  far 
more  splendid  to  have  a  savings-bank  in  heaven.  The 
money  that  we  give  to  others  from  love  or  pity,  we  do 
not  see  again  on  earth,  but  God  treasures  it ;  and  one 
day,  when  we  go  to  live  with  Him,  He  will  tell  us  how 
much  we  have  in  His  savings-bank.  And  won't  we 
be  ashamed,  and  try  to  hide  our  faces,  if  the  sum  He 
mentions  is  very  very  small  ? 

But  we  must  not  run  away  with  the  idea  that  God 
despises  small  sums.  You  see,  He  counts  quite 
differently  from  us.     Suppose  you  have  only  a  penny, 


2  KINGS  XII.  9  233 

and  you  are  looking  forward  to  spending  it  on  some- 
thing you  specially  want,  and  suppose  you  give  it  away 
instead  of  spending  it  on  yourself — you  must  not  think 
that  God  will  count  that  penny  a  sum  too  email  to 
notice.  Not  a  bit  of  it !  He  will  count  it  as  much  as 
if  you  had  had  ten  shillings  and  had  given  every  one 
of  the  ten  away.  You  see  you  gave  what  you  could — 
your  all. 

But  it  is  not  only  money  that  God  wishes  you  to 
put  in  His  bank.  He  wishes  you  to  put  in  kind 
thoughts  and  loving  deeds.  All  these  count  a&  coin 
in  God's  money-box.  So  if  you  come  out  of  a  sweet- 
shop with  a  bag  of  sweets  in  your  pocket  and  you  see 
two  little  boys  outside  gluing  their  noses  against  the 
pane  and  choosing  what  they  would  buy  if  only  they 
had  a  penny,  don't  forget  to  give  them  a  good  half  of 
your  bag  of  sweets.  That  will  be  so  much  in  God's 
bank. 

Or  if  mother  is  looking  tired  out,  and  you  have  half 
an  hour  between  lessons  and  bedtime,  offer  to  run  her 
errands  or  help  her  somehow.  That  will  be  dropping 
a  sixpence  in  God's  bank.  You  see  there  are  hundreds 
of  ways  you  can  invest  in  it. 

Let  me  tell  you  a  story  to  finish.  It  is  a  really  true 
story,  and  it  happened  not  long  ago. 

On  the  outskirts  of  a  certain  great  city  there  lived  a 
little  boy  called  Jimmie.  His  father  was  dead,  but  he 
had  a  mother  and  a  small  brother  named  Bobbie  and  a 
tiny  baby  sister.    They  were  all  very  poor,  so  poor  that 


234  MONEY-BOXES 

Jimmie  had  often  no  shoes  to  cover  his  feet,  and  very 
little  bread  to  fill  his  hungry  mouth.  By  and  by  things 
grew  worse,  for  his  mother  became  ill,  and  could  not 
work  any  longer.  Then,  just  when  things  were 
desperate,  something  happened.  An  angel  came  to 
the  house.  At  least  she  looked  like  an  angel  to 
Jimmie.  She  wore  a  grey  cloak  with  sleeves  like 
floating  wings,  and  she  had  a  bonnet  with  a  long  grey 
veil,  and  beneath  the  bonnet  was  a  face — oh !  so  sweet. 
And  she  smiled  at  Jimmie  and  called  him  "  old  man." 
She  asked  him  if  he  knew  the  way  to  such-and-such  a 
street  in  the  city.  Jimmie  did.  Then  she  told  him 
that  she  had  come  to  spend  the  afternoon  with  his 
mother,  but  that  she  wished  to  send  a  message  to  a 
certain  house  in  that  street.  Would  Jimmie  take  it  ? 
Of  course  Jimmie  would.  Then  she  took  a  look  at 
Jimmie's  bare  red  feet  which  he  was  rubbing  one  on 
the  other  to  keep  them  warm,  and  she  drew  sixpence 
out  of  her  purse,  and  she  said.  "  It's  a  long  road,  and 
you've  no  shoes,  and  there  is  snow  on  the  ground; 
here's  sixpence  for  you.     Take  the  car!" 

Jimmie  sped  off  hke  an  arrow,  and  mounted  the  car 
steps,  and  paid  his  threepenny  fare  like  a  man ;  and 
wasn't  he  just  proud!  When  he  reached  the  street, 
he  found  the  house  and  delivered  the  message,  and 
then  he  started  out  for  home.  Now  something  was 
worrying  Jimmie — and  it  was  that  neither  Bobbie  nor 
Baby  was  sharing  his  treat.  He  wanted  them  to  have 
a  good  time  too.  Just  then  he  passed  in  front  of  one 
of  those  shops  where  cakes  and  biscuits  and  toys  and 


2  KINGS  XII.  9  235 

sweets  are  gloriously  mixed  in  tke  window.  And 
suddenly  Jimmie  knew  what  he  should  do.  Said  he 
to  himself,  "  I'll  run  all  the  way  home,  and  may  be  it 
won't  hurt  80  awful,  and  then  Bobbie  can  have  that 
penny  whistle,  and  Baby  will  get  that  penny  ball,  and 
there'll  be  a  penny  over  to  buy  a  ha'penny  cake  for 
each  of  them."  So  he  marched  into  the  shop  and 
bought  the  penny  whistle,  and  the  penny  ball,  and  the 
two  ha'penny  cakes.  And  the  woman  actually  put 
the  cakes  in  a  bag,  and  he  stowed  away  the  toys  in  the 
only  one  of  his  pockets  that  hadn't  holes.  Then  he  ran  all 
the  road  home,  and  whenever  he  stopped  to  take  breath 
he  had  a  peep  into  the  bag  and  a  peep  into  his  pocket 
to  be  sure  the  things  were  still  there.  And  when  he 
got  home,  very  hot  and  breathless,  and  showed  the 
angel  in  the  bonnet  what  he  had  done,  and  hoped  she 
wouldn't  be  angry,  she  only  smiled  all  the  sweeter  and 
said  "  Dear  laddie,  no."  As  for  Bobbie  and  Baby ! 
You  should  have  seen  them!    That's  all! 

Now  Jimmie  invested  that  day  in  God's  bank.  He 
invested  not  only  three  pennies  but  a  great  deal  of 
love.  And  that  is  what  God  wants  even  more  than 
pennies. 

Boys  and  girls,  make  up  your  mind  to-day  that, 
however  small,  however  empty  your  savings-bank  on 
earth  may  be,  your  savings-bank  in  heaven  will, 
please  God,  be  both  large  and  fulL 


A  "RELIABLE"  STORY. 

"They  reckoned  not  with  the  men,  into  whose  hand  they 
delivered  the  money  ...  for  they  dealt  faitiifully." — 2  Kings 
xii.  15. 

When  your  house  is  going  to  be  papered  and  painted 
what  happens  ?  Well,  ifirst  father  pays  a  visit  to  the 
painter  and  asks  him  to  send  a  man  to  look  at  the 
rooms  and  measure  the  walls.  Then  you  get  up  great 
heavy  books  with  patterns  of  wall  paper,  and  you 
choose  the  paper  you  think  most  suitable.  And  father 
tells  the  painter  the  paper  you  have  fixed  on,  and  then 
the  painter  sends  in  what  is  called  an  "  estimate  " — that 
is,  a  note  saying  how  much  he  estimates  or  figures  out 
that  the  painting  and  papering  wiU  cost.  If  father 
thinks  the  estimate  reasonable  he  orders  the  work  to 
proceed,  and  the  painters  with  their  pots  and  their 
brushes  and  their  ladders  arrive  on  the  scene.  Some 
time  after  they  have  finished  their  job  the  master 
painter  sends  in  his  bill,  and  father  compares  it  with  the 
estimate  which  he  received  before  the  job  was  begun. 
If  the  bill  is  larger  than  the  estimate,  or  if  there  is  what 
father  considers  an  unreasonable  chai'ge,  he  goes  to  the 
painter  and  speaks  about  it  before  he  pays  the  bill. 

That  is  the  way  people  usually  do  business  nowadays, 
but  oocaeionally  you  hear  someone  say. "  Oh !  I  never  ask 

236 


2  KINGS  XII.   15  237 

So-and-so  for  an  estimate.  He  is  such  a  decent  man  I 
know  I  can  trust  him  to  do  it  as  well  and  economically 
as  it  can  bo  done.  He  is  thoroughly  reliable."  You 
feel  that  that  workman  must  be  well  worth  employing — 
don't  you  ? — if  people  say  such  nice  things  about  him. 

Well,  the  men  of  to-day's  text  are  all  of  the  reliable 
order.  Those  who  were  arranging  for  the  repair  of 
the  Temple  trusted  them  so  thoroughly  that  they 
handed  over  to  them  all  the  money  which  had  been 
gathered  for  the  Temple  repairs.  They  told  these 
overseers  to  lay  it  out  to  the  best  advantage,  knowing 
that  the  men  would  act  honestly  and  faithfully,  and  do 
with  the  money  the  utmost  that  could  be  done.  There 
would  be  no  scamped  work  allowed  either.  There 
would  be  no  building  with  rubble  and  calling  it  stone, 
there  would  be  no  cheating  with  the  woodwork — no 
putting  in  of  inferior  or  unseasoned  wood.  Everything 
would  be  as  perfect  as  it  could  be  made. 

Boys  and  girls,  it  is  a  fine  reputation  these  men  bore. 
And  it  is  a  reputation  we  can  all  have  if  we  care.  The 
matter  lies  entirely  in  our  own  hands.  Nobody  but 
ourselves  can  make  us  reliable.  It  is  our  honour  alone 
that  can  command  us  here. 

And  if  there  be  reasons  needed  why  we  should  be 
reliable,  here  are  three. 

1.  Only  what  is  reliahle  is  useful. — The  bicycle  you  ride 
every  day  must  have  a  stout  frame,  and  good  tyres,  and  a 
strong  brake.  There  must  be  nothing  shaky  about  it.  For 
the  bicycle  that  may  break  down  at  any  minute  is  of  little 
value.     The  tools  that  snap  when  you  use  them,  the 


238  A  "RELIABLE"  STORY 

needles  that  bend  or  break  when  you  ask  them  to  go 
through  stiff  material,  are  worse  than  useless.  They  are 
a  downright  nuisance.  And  it  is  the  same  with  the  men 
and  women,  the  boys  and  girls,  who  cannot  be  relied  on. 

A  man  who  sold  fruit  and  vegetables  from  a  cart  in  the 
city  streets  carried  always  in  the  back  of  the  cart  a  queer- 
looking  little  mongrel  dog.  It  was  no  beauty,  looked 
at  from  a  doggy  point  of  view.  Its  legs  were  much  too 
long,  its  head  was  too  broad,  its  coat  was  too  rough,  and 
its  left  ear  was  sadly  torn ;  but  its  master  would  not 
have  parted  with  it  at  any  price,  "Trusty,"  said  he, 
"  has  saved  me  pounds  and  pounds.  Before  I  got  him 
I  used  to  lose  a  great  deal  of  money  from  people  helping 
themselves  to  my  goods  whilst  I  was  bargaining  with 
somebody  else.  I  tried  a  boy  to  watch  the  cart,  but  he 
was  no  use,  for  he  ate  the  apples  and  plums  himself. 
Then  I  got  Trusty  here.  Since  then  I've  had  no  trouble. 
I  cajOL  rely  on  him.     He  never  fails  me." 

2.  The  second  reason  is  that  what  is  reliable  always 
comes  out  on  top. — EeUable  people  are  like  cream  on 
milk.  They  always  rise  to  the  top  and  they  are  always 
in  great  demand.  If  it  is  known  that  you  can  be 
thoroughly  trusted  you  are  sure  to  get  on  in  life. 
There  are  always  more  positions  of  trust  than  there  are 
trusty  people  to  fill  them ;  so  the  trusty  man  wins  every 
time.  If  you  are  setting  out  with  the  idea  of  being 
somebody  in  the  world,  be  clever  if  you  like,  but  first 
be  reliable.  Clever  people  who  are  not  reliable  are  like 
rockets.  They  go  up  with  a  great  show,  but  they  don't 
stay  Ions?  aloft.     They  are  only  poor  imitations  of  a 


2  KINGS  XII.  15  239 

star.  If  you  want  to  be  a  star,  if  you  want  to  shin* 
up  high  with  a  steady  radiance,  you  must  be  reliable 
as  well  as  clever. 

3.  The  third  reason  is  that  to  he  reliable  is  the  only 
right  way. — It  is  the  only  way  for  the  boys  and  girls 
who  are  trying  to  follow  Christ.  Those  who  say  they 
will  do  a  certain  thing  and  do  not  do  it,  those  who 
make  large  promises  and  never  fulfil  them,  are  little 
better  than  liars.  Those  who  scamp  their  work,  or 
fritter  away  their  master's  time,  are  really  thieves. 
They  are  untrue  to  the  name  they  bear. 

In  the  beautiful  city  of  Florence  there  stands  a 
wonderful  cathedral  with  a  lofty  dome  like  St.  Paul's. 
The  dome  has  many  gorgeous  stained-glass  windows, 
but  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  thing  about  it  is  a 
tiny  iron  ring  in  the  casement  of  one  of  these  windows, 
for  by  it  the  uprightness  and  downrightness  of  the 
whole  building  is  tested  year  by  year.  On  a  certain 
day  in  June,  at  a  certain  hour  of  that  day,  the  sun 
shines  through  that  ring,  and  its  rays  fall  on  a  brass 
star  let  into  the  marble  pavement  beneath.  So  long  as 
the  sun  falls  exactly  on  that  spot  people  know  that  the 
building  is  as  erect  and  sound  as  it  was  the  day  it  was 
finished.  If  the  rays  failed  to  fall  exactly  on  that  spot 
then  they  would  know  that  the  cathedral  was  beginning 
to  be  off  the  straight,  that  it  was  in  danger  of  toppling 
or  becoming  like  the  leaning  tower  of  Pisa. 

Boys  and  girls,  our  reliableness  is  just  our  iron  ring. 
It  tests  the  uprightness  of  our  character.  It  proves 
the  truth  of  our  love  for  Christ. 


GOD'S    GIFTS   AND    OURS. 

All  things  come  of  thee,  and  of  thine  own  have  we  given 
thee.— I  Chron.  xxix.  14. 

This  is  a  verse  of  a  hymn  that  was  sung  at  a  gift  service 
about  a  thousand  years  before  Jesus  came  to  earth. 

King  David  had  gathered  together  all  the  princes 
and  rulers  and  great  men  of  the  kingdom  to  ask  them 
for  offerings  to  build  a  House  for  God.  He  himself  had 
given  very  generously,  and  when  he  asked  for  gifts 
from  the  people  they  brought  such  splendid  presents 
of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and  iron,  and  precious 
stones  that  the  king's  heart  was  overflowiog  with 
thankfulness.  Now  you  know  that  when  David  was 
very  glad,  or  very  sorry,  or  very  sad,  he  made  a  song 
about  it.  And  so,  on  this  occasion,  he  sang  a  hymn  of 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  all  His  good  gifts.  And  while 
he  was  singing  he  felt  that  he  couldn't  give  God  any- 
thing that  God  hadn't  given  him  already.  Eiches,  and 
honour,  and  strength,  and  the  power  to  give — all  came 
from  Gx)d,  and  he  could  only  give  Him  back  His  own. 

1.  Now  you  have  brought  God  presents  to-day, 
presents  that  are  going  to  make  some  of  His  less 
fortunate  children  happy.  And  those  are  presents  that 
God  loves  very  much,  the  presents  that  will  give  joy  to 
somebody  who  is  sick,  or  poor,  or  lonely,  or  sad.     But 

240 


1  CHRONICLES  XXIX.  14  241 

I  want  you  to  remember  that  you  wouldn't  have  had 
these  presents  to  give,  that  you  wouldn't  have  had  any- 
thing at  all,  if  God  hadn't  first  given  it  to  you, 

God  is  constantly  giving  us  presents.  He  gives  us 
life,  He  gives  us  health,  He  gives  us  our  home.  He 
gives  us  parents,  and  brothers,  and  sisters,  and  friends. 
He  has  given  us  this  beautiful  world  to  live  in,  and  the 
beautiful  things  in  it.  He  gives  us  food  to  eat,  and 
sleep  to  refresh  us.  He  gives  us  books  to  make  us 
wise,  and  toys  to  make  us  glad.  He  gives  us  good 
desires,  and  kind  thoughts,  and  noble  ambitions.  Best 
of  all  He  has  given  His  own  Son  to  live  for  us  and  to 
die  for  us.  So  we  cannot  give  God  anything  that  He 
hasn't  given  us  already. 

2.  But  don't  run  away  with  the  idea  that  God  thinks 
any  the  less  of  our  gifts  because  we  give  Him  back  His 
own.  1  wonder  how  many  of  you  get  a  Saturday 
penny.  Well,  suppose  you  didn't  spend  that  penny  on 
sweets,  and  suppose  you  added  a  few  more  Saturday 
pennies  to  it  and  bought  your  father  a  present,  do  you 
think  he  would  value  the  present  less  because  be  had 
given  you  the  pennies  first  of  all  ?  You  know  that  that  is 
absurd.  You  know  that  he  would  treasure  that  present 
far  above  many  grander  ones,  because  he  would  think 
of  the  love  and  the  self-denial  that  it  stood  for. 

God  is  far  more  loving,  far  more  understanding  than 
any  earthly  father,  and  He  loves  to  have  our  little  gifts. 

Some  years  ago  a  minister  was  getting  married  and 
the  members  of  his  congregation  subscribed  a  big 
sum  of  money  to  give  him  a  handsome  present.     The 


242  GOD^S  GIFTS  AND  OURS 

daj  before  he  went  away  to  be  married  a  little  child 
in  the  congregation  came  to  him  and  shyly  pressed  a 
sticky  penny  into  his  hand  with  the  words,  "That's 
your  present  from  me.  It's  my  two  Saturdays'  money ! " 
The  minister  thought  more  of  that  penny  than  of  all 
his  grand  gifts.  He  wouldn't  have  parted  with  it  for 
a  golden  sovereign.  And  I  think  God  feels  like  that 
abont  our  gifts. 

Perhaps  it  cost  you  something  to  bring  your  present. 
You  had  to  renounce  some  little  pleasure  to  buy  it,  or 
you  gave  one  of  your  own  treasures.  Well,  God  saw 
all  that,  i*nd  He  loves  the  gift  all  the  more  for  it. 

Or  perhaps  you  spent  long  hours  making  something. 
Grod  saw  all  the  love  that  went  into  your  bit  of  work. 
He  knew  how  often  you  pricked  your  finger,  how  often 
you  gave  up  playing  to  toil  at  it.  He  saw  the  tear  you 
bravely  brushed  away  when  everything  went  wrong. 
Yes,  He  saw  it  all,  for  God  is  never  too  busy  to  notice 
the  things  we  call  small. 

3.  God  makes  us  free  to  do  as  we  will  with  His  gifts, 
and  some  people  keep  all  God's  gifts  to  themselves. 
Don't  be  one  of  these  shabby  people.  You  know  if 
somebody  has  been  very  kind  to  you,  you  feel  you 
would  like  to  do  something  for  them,  and  that  is  a  right 
feeling.  Well  God  has  done  much  more  for  us  than 
the  kindest  and  most  loving  of  friends.  Did  you  ever 
think  about  what  you  could  do  for  Him  ? 

You  have  brought  presents  to-day  and  that  is  good, 
but  there  are  other  gifts  God  has  given  you.  How  are 
you  using  them  ? 


1  CHRONICLES  XXIX.  14  243 

Sometimes  you  hear  people  talking  about  their 
friends,  and  they  say,  "  So-and-so  has  a  gift  for  paint- 
ing," or  "  a  gift  for  music,"  or  "  a  gift  for  writing."  Now 
if  you  have  a  gift  of  that  kind  it  is  a  great  responsibility* 
because  it  is  a  power  to  make  the  world  either  better  or 
worse,  and  whether  you  make  the  world  better  or 
worse  depends  on  the  way  you  use  your  gift.  Well,  if 
any  one  of  you  has  a  gift  of  that  kind,  remember  it  is  a 
glorious  opportunity,  and  resolve  to  use  your  gift  in  the 
service  of  all  that  is  pure,  and  noble,  and  kind. 

But  most  of  us  are  just  very  plain,  very  ordinary,  veiy 
commonplace  people,  and  we  are  never  likely  to  make  a 
stir  in  the  world.  And  yet  I  think  we  all  have  a  gift  of 
some  kind.  Perhaps  it  is  a  gift  for  plodding  work,  perhaps 
it  is  a  gift  for  running  errands,  perhaps  it  is  a  gift  for 
dusting  a  room  or  cooking  a  dinner,  perhaps  it  is  a  gift 
for  being  kind,  perhaps  it  is  just  a  gift  for  cheering  some- 
body with  our  smile.  I  don't  know  what  your  special 
gift  is,  but  I  know  you  have  it.  And  I  know  this  too — 
if  you  are  using  that  gift  to  help  somebody  else,  then  you 
are  serving  God,  you  are  giving  Grod  back  His  own. 

And  there  is  one  gift  we  all  have,  and  God  wants 
it  above  all  other  gifts.  It  is  the  gift  of  our  heart. 
Perhaps  you  think  it  isn't  much  worth,  but  God  sets 
tremendous  value  on  it.  He  prizes  it  above  all  other 
gifts  we  can  bring.  Will  you  give  God  back  this  gift  ? 
It  is  His  by  right  and  He  gave  His  own  Son  to  win  it. 
Will  you  give  Him  back  this  gift,  or  will  you  keep  il 
to  yourself  ? 


THE  MAN  WHOM  NOBODY 
MISSED. 

He  departed  without  being  desired.— 2  Ckron.  xxi.  20. 

I  THINK  this  is  the  very  saddest  epitaph  that  was  ever 
written  about  any  man.  If  you  walk  through  a 
cemetery  you  will  see  many  sad  things  written  on 
the  tombstones.  You  will  see  inscriptions  that  tell 
you  that  many  many  people  have  lost  relatives  who 
were  dearly  loved;  but  I  don't  think  you  will  ever 
find  anything  quite  so  sad  as  this.  Jehoram  "  departed 
without  being  desired."  Nobody  missed  him,  nobody 
was  sorry  when  he  died. 

Jehoram  was  a  bad,  cruel  king.  He  began  his  reign 
by  slaying  all  his  brothers.  He  continued  it  by  leading 
the  people  into  wicked  idolatrous  ways.  And  when 
he  died,  he  was  so  little  thought  of  that  the  people 
did  not  even  honour  him  by  burying  him  in  the  royal 
tomb.  They  were  glad  to  get  rid  of  him.  "He  de- 
parted without  being  desired." 

Now  I  wonder  if  you  ever  depart  without  being  desired. 
I  have  known  boys  and  girls  who  made  such  a  stir  in  a 
house  that  older  people  were  glad  when  they  went  out. 
They  lost  their  belongings,  they  left  their  toys  all  over 
the  place,  they  stamped  with  their  feet,  they  shouted 

244 


2  CHRONICLES  XXI.  20  245 

they  banged  things  about;  and  when  they  went  out 
Granny  heaved  a  big  sigh  which  said  as  plainly  as  sighs 
can  say,  **  Thank  goodness  those  children  have  gone  ! " 

And  yet  if  they  had  gone  away  altogether,  Granny 
would  have  missed  them  sadly.  She  would  have 
thought  the  world  a  very  dull  place  indeed  without 
her  boy  or  girL 

You  see  it  isn't  a  little  rowdiness  that  really  makes 
people  unwelcome.  But  there  are  some  things  that 
keep  people  from  being  missed.  Shall  I  tell  you  the 
names  of  some  of  them? 

1.  Selfishness  is  one.  The  really  selfish  person  is 
seldom  missed,  the  person  who  is  always  thinking 
about  his  own  wants  and  his  own  comforts,  and  who 
must  have  these  attended  to  no  matter  how  uncom- 
fortable other  people  are  made.  If  you  really  wish 
people  to  miss  you  the  best  way  is  to  forget  about 
yourself  and  think  about  them.  I  have  met  people  in 
this  world  who  weren't  beautiful,  or  clever,  or  rich,  and 
yet  they  were  very  much  loved  because  they  were  always 
thinking  how  happy  they  could  make  other  people. 

2.  JEvil-speaking  is  another  thing  that  keeps  people 
from  "  being  desired."  Have  you  noticed  that,  although 
many  people  are  ready  to  listen  to  the  tales  of  a 
slanderer,  very  few  want  to  make  a  friend  of  him  ? 
When  he  leaves  the  room  nobody  really  misses  him, 
and  if  anyone  thinks  about  him  at  all,  it  is  only  to 
wonder  what  nasty  thing  he  is  saying  about  them  on 
the  other  side  of  the  door. 

If  you  want  to  be  really  loved  try  to  find  out  the 


246     THE  MAN  WHOM  NOBODY  MISSED 

best  in  others  and  talk  about  that.  The  wonderful  thing 
is  that  people  become  what  you  think  them.  William 
Wilberforce  used  to  say  that  he  had  spent  all  his  life 
in  trying  to  find  good  in  his  fellow-men,  and  he  had 
been  disappointed  but  twice.  Do  you  know  what  his 
secret  was  ?  He  always  looked  for  the  best  and  so  he 
found  it. 

3.  Yet  another  thing  prevents  people  from  being 
missed,  and  that  thing  is  cruelty.  Jehoram  was  a 
cruel,  bloodthirsty  king,  and  people  were  glad  when 
his  reign  came  to  an  end. 

Once  upon  a  time  the  great  French  writer  Victor 
Hugo  was  telling  a  story  to  his  grandchildren.  The 
story  was  about  a  bad  boy  who  treated  his  dog  so 
cruelly  that  the  poor  doggie  died.  When  the  tale  was 
ended  there  was  silence  in  the  room  for  a  minute  and 
then  one  small  grandson  asked,  "  And  what  happened 
to  the  poor  dog's  wicked  master?"  "He  remained 
wicked,"  was  the  answer,  "  and  he  was  terribly  punished 
for  his  cruelty,  for  nobody  loved  him." 

Yes,  that  is  the  most  terrible  punishment  that  could 
befall  anyone — not  to  be  loved.  And  remember  that 
cruelty  begins  with  little  things.  It  begins  with 
tormenting  cats,  and  thrashing  horses  and  dogs,  and 
pulling  the  legs  off  flies.  It  begins  with  bullying 
younger  boys,  with  saying  spiteful  things  about  other 
girls,  with  laughing  at  those  who  are  weak,  or  foolish, 
or  awkward.  It  begins  with  little  things,  but  if  you 
let  it  grow  it  will  turn  you  into  a  monster  whom 
everyone  will  detest. 


2  CHRONICLES  XXI.  20  247 

Away  on  a  hillside  in  Eastern  Kentucky  there  is  a 
lonely  grave  and  on  the  grave  there  is  a  roughly  hewn 
stone.  If  you  looked  at  the  inscription  on  the  stone, 
this  is  what  you  would  read,  "Jane  Laler,  ded  Agus 
1879.  She  wuz  alius  kind  to  evrybuddie."  And  in 
between  the  lines  of  that  humble,  ill-spelt  inscription 
you  could  read  these  words — "She  departed  being 
greatly  desired.    A  woman  whom  everybody  missed." 


THE  SECRET  OF  STRENGTH. 

So  Jotham  became  mig^hty,  because  he  prepared  his  ways 
before  the  Lord  his  God. — 2  Chron.  xxvii.  6  (AV). 

The  Books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles  are  bristling  with 
the  names  of  kings.  In  fact,  when  we  have  to  get 
them  up  for  a  Sunday  school  examination,  we  some- 
times wish  that  there  weren't  so  many  of  them  and  that 
they  weren't  so  muddly.  There  seem  to  be  just  about 
two  kinds  of  them — the  ones  that  were  out-and-out 
bad,  and  the  ones  who  began  well  and  ended  badly 
But  there  is  a  third  class,  a  very  small  one,  of  the 
ones  who  began  well,  and  went  on  well,  and  ended 
well,  and  Jotham  is  one  of  them. 

We  don't  know  very  much  about  him — his  history 
is  summed  up  in  a  few  verses — but  what  we  do  know 
makes  us  wish  to  know  more.  We  are  told  that  he 
was  the  son  of  King  Uzziah,  that  he  was  twenty-five 
years  old  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  that  he  reigned 
sixteen  years  over  Judah.  We  are  told  also  that  he 
was  a  great  builder  and  that  he  fought  successfully 
against  the  Ammonites.  And  then  last  of  all  we  are  let 
into  the  secret  of  his  success — "  Jotham  became  mighty, 
because  he  prepared  his  ways  before  the  Lord." 


Now  of  course  you  all  know  that  the  prepared  person 

248 


2  CHRONICLES  XXVII.  6  249 

is  the  strong  person.  Did  you  ever  wonder  why  it  is 
that  bulbous  plants  like  the  snowdrop  and  the  crocus 
and  the  daffodil  flower  so  early,  and  how  it  is  that 
they  are  able  to  grow  flowers  before  they  grow  leaves  ? 
Most  plants  have  to  grow  leaves  before  they  grow 
flowers  because  it  is  through  the  leaves  that  they  take 
in  the  food  that  makes  them  able  to  produce  flowers. 
But  how  are  the  bulbous  plants  able  to  grow  flowers 
first  ?  It  is  because  they  are  prepared.  Months  and 
months  ago,  away  back  in  the  summertime,  they  took 
in  nourishment  through  their  leaves  and  stored  it  away 
in  their  bulbs  under  the  ground,  and  so  when  the  first 
spring  days  came  they  were  ready  to  burst  into  flower. 

Now  you  know  that  most  flowers  are  dependent  on 
the  bees  and  the  butterflies  to  carry  the  pollen  dust 
from  one  blossom  to  another,  and  these  bulbous  plants 
stand  the  best  chance  of  being  visited  by  the  bees 
because  they  are  first  awake.  They  are  already 
blossoming  while  many  of  the  other  little  flowers  are 
just  beginning  to  stir  under  the  ground. 

And  it  is  the  same  with  us  as  it  is  with  the  flowers. 
The  boys  and  girls  who  are  prepared  have  the  best 
chance.  The  boy  who  has  prepared  for  his  examination 
has  a  big  pull  over  the  one  who  has  scarcely  opened  a 
book.  The  boy  who  has  practised  for  the  school  sports 
is  more  likely  to  win  than  the  one  who  has  taken 
things  easy  and  not  bothered  to  get  ready.  You  will 
do  your  best  work  and  play  your  best  play  if  you  are 
prepared. 

Now  I  think  most  boys  and  girls  are  quite  ready  to 


250  THE  SECRET  OF  STHENGTH 

take  some  trouble  about  those  things.  If  they  are 
going  in  for  an  examination  they  have  a  good  grind  at 
their  lessons.  If  they  are  going  to  run  in  a  race,  or 
play  in  a  cricket  or  hockey  match,  they  practise  for 
weeks  beforehand.  But  I  want  to  ask  you  a  questioD. 
Are  you  prepared  for  life  ?  You  have  taken  a  lot  of 
trouble  about  these  smaller  things.  Are  you  taking 
any  trouble  about  the  biggest  thing  of  all  ?  You  are 
setting  out  in  life  and  it  will  not  be  just  a  joke  or 
a  picnic.  It  will  be  a  pretty  big  battle  sometimes. 
How  are  you  equipped  for  it?  The  only  sure  pre- 
paration is  to  be  prepared  before  God,  to  take  God  as 
your  Friend  and  Guide  as  Jotham  did,  to  give  Him 
control  of  your  heart  and  of  your  life. 

People  have  tried  setting  out  in  Hfe  without  God. 
It  can  be  done ;  but  do  you  know  what  has  happened  ? 
Some  of  them  have  made  shipwreck ;  some  have  become 
hard  and  embittered;  and  the  best  have  never  been 
at  their  best,  because  you  can  never  be  at  your  best 
without  God. 

"Jotham  became  mighty,  because  he  prepared  his 
ways  before  the  Lord  his  God."  We  are  told  of  two 
ways  in  which  Jotham  became  mighty.  First  he  was 
a  great  builder,  and  second  he  was  a  great  conqueror. 

Jotham  was  a  great  builder.  He  built  a  gate  for  the 
Temple  and  a  wall  on  the  Temple  hill.  He  built  cities 
in  the  mountains,  and  castles  and  towers  in  the  forests, 
And  if  we  prepare  our  ways  before  the  Lord  we  shall 
be  great  builders  too.    We  shall  build  up  a  beautiful 


2  CHRONICLES  XXVII.  6  251 

strong  character  and  a  strong  wall  round  it  to  keep 
out  the  enemy. 

Jotham  was  a  great  conqueror.  He  overcame  the 
foes  of  Judah.  And  we,  too,  if  we  prepare  our  ways 
before  the  Lord  shall  be  great  conquerors.  We  shall 
conquer  the  evil  that  is  in  ourselves,  and  we  shall  help 
to  conquer  the  eml  that  is  in  the  world 


O.H.M.S. 

The  posts  went  with  the  letters.— 2  Chroo.  xxx.  6. 

And  so  our  good  old  friend  the  post  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Bible!  Yes,  but  I'm  afraid  you  might  not 
recognize  him  if  you  met  him,  for  the  posts  mentioned 
here  didn't  wear  a  navy-blue  uniform  with  red  pipings, 
as  our  posts  do,  and  they  didn't  carry  letters  from 
house  to  house.  They  were  couriers  or  runners  chosen 
from  the  king's  body-guard,  and  they  were  employed 
to  carry  the  king's  messages  all  over  the  land. 

I  wonder  how  many  of  you  would  like  to  be 
postmen?  How  many  would  like  to  be  king's 
messengers  carrying  the  king's  letters?  You  can  all 
be  that  if  you  wish,  and  to  a  much  greater  King  than 
King  George,  to  a  much  greater  than  King  Hezekiah, 
who  sent  out  those  posts  in  our  text.  Sometimes  it  is 
difficult  for  a  boy  or  a  girl  to  get  into  King  George's 
postal  service,  because  the  vacancies  are  few,  and  only 
a  certain  number  of  applicants  are  chosen.  But  this 
King  has  always  plenty  of  room  in  His  service,  and 
anyone  can  get  in  who  likes  to  apply. 

Now  there  are  three  things  I  want  to  aay  about 
postmen  in  the  service  of  the  Heavenly  King. 

1.  They  must  be  prompt — ready  to  obey  the  King's 

25S 


2  CHRONICLES  XXX,  6  253 

commands  at  a  moment's  notice  and  to  do  whatever 
He  asks  them  to  do. 

When  Professor  Henry  Drummond  was  a  very- 
small  boy  at  Stirling  High  School  the  boys  decorated 
and  illuminated  the  school  in  honour  of  the  marriage 
of  the  late  King  Edward  who  was  then  Prince  of 
Wales.  They  cut  out  Prince  of  Wales  feathers  and 
suitable  mottoes  in  coloured  paper — blue,  and  pink, 
and  red,  and  yellow- — and  they  stuck  them  on  the 
windows.  When  night  came  on  they  put  lighted 
candles  in  the  windows  so  that  when  people  passed 
outside  they  saw  Prince  of  Wales  feathers  shining  in 
every  window. 

Henry  was  too  small  to  help,  but  he  was  eagerly 
watching  the  cutting  out  and  pasting  when  a  big  boy 
came  to  him  and  asked  him  to  run  down  town  and 
buy  twopence  worth  of  pink  paper.  Now  Drummond 
thought  it  was  much  more  fun  watching  the  others 
than  going  on  a  dull  errand,  so  he  refused.  "Why 
won't  you  go  ? "  asked  the  big  boy.  "  Because  I  don't 
want  to."  "But  do  you  know  it  is  'O.H.M.S. '?" 
asked  the  other.  "  You  don't  really  mean  it ! "  said 
Henry,  and  off  he  went  like  a  shot.  And  as  he  ran 
down  the  street  he  felt,  as  he  afterwards  said,  about 
"ten  feet  high." 

You  see  it  makes  all  the  difference  in  the  world 
when  you  are  "O.H.M.S."  When  the  King  gives  a 
command  you  obey  at  once  without  questioning.  And 
the  errands  that  are  bothersome  and  the  duties  that 
are    disagreeable    seem   quite   different.     If   they  are 


254  O.H.M.S. 

difficult  or  disagreeable  it  is  all  the  more  honour  to 
us  that  the  King  has  asked  us  to  do  them. 

In  ancient  Persia  the  posts  were  mounted  on  swift 
steeds.  It  was  said  of  these  messengers  that  nothing 
mortal  travelled  so  fast  and  that  they  outstripped  the 
flight  of  birds.  And  the  messengers  of  the  Great  King 
must  be  like  these  ancient  Persians — swift  to  do  the 
King's  bidding,  ready  to  go  whenever  and  wherever 
the  King  calls  them. 

2.  The  King's  postmen  must  be  faithful.  King 
Hezekiah's  postmen  carried  his  messages  written 
on  parchment,  but  the  Great  King  writes  His  message 
on  boys,  and  girls,  and  men,  and  women.  His 
postmen  carry  the  message  on  themselves.  They  are 
the  letters  as  well  as  the  postmen,  and  by  Uieir  life 
and  conduct  they  show  the  mind  and  heart  of  the 
King. 

Now  there  are  a  great  many  people  going  about  the 
world  who  call  themselves  the  King's  messengers,  and 
when  other  people  see  them  they  say,  "Well,  if  the 
King  is  at  all  like  them  we  don't  want  to  be  His 
followers!"  They  are  unfaithful  postmen  and  bring 
disgrace  on  the  King's  name. 

In  the  life  of  Bishop  Bompas,  whose  work  lay  in  the 
district  of  the  Mackenzie  Eiver  away  in  the  cold 
North-West  of  Canada,  there  is  a  funny  story  of  how 
some  letters  got  mixed  up. 

The  mails  arrived  only  twice  a  year  and  their 
arrival  was  always  a  great   event  in   the  life  of  the 


2  CHRONICLES  XXX.  6  255 

Jort    In  the  wintertime  they  were  brought  from  a  long 
distanoe  by  Indians  with  dog-sledges. 

On  one  occasion  the  Indian  in  charge  broke  through 
the  ice,  and  man,  dogs,  and  letters  all  got  a  thorough 
soaking.  The  Indian  made  for  the  shore  and  lit  a 
fire  to  dry  his  clothes.  Then  he  looked  ruefully 
at  the  wet  letters.  What  was  to  be  done  with  them  ? 
Suddenly  a  brilliant  idea  oociHred  to  him.  He  took 
them  out  of  their  envelopes  and  stacked  them  up 
round  the  fire  to  dry.  When  they  were  all  nicely 
toasted  he  proceeded  to  replace  tiieru.  Then  he  dis- 
covered to  his  dismay  that  he  did  not  know  which 
letter  belonged  to  which  envelope.  As  he  was  unable 
to  read  he  could  get  no  clue,  ao  he  just  popped  any 
letter  into  any  envelope  and  jMroceeded  on  his  way. 

By  and  by  he  arrived  at  the  fort  and  delivered  up 
the  mail ;  and  then  the  fun  began.  The  Bishop  opened 
sedate-looking  envelopes  addressed  to  himself  and 
found  they  contained  private  documents  or  love-letters 
intended  for  the  oflSoers  at  the  fort.  And  the  officers 
on  opening  some  of  their  letters  discovered  solemn 
epstles  intended  for  the  Bishop^  At  last  the  Indian 
confessed  what  had  happened,  matters  were  cleared  up, 
and  evOTybody  had  a  good  laugh. 

Now  the  unfaithful  messengers  are  like  letters  that 
have  been  put  into  the  wrong  envelope.  When  the 
people  to  whom  they  are  sent  look  inside  they  say, 
"  Why,  this  isn't  the  writing  of  the  King  at  all.  It  is 
the  writing  of  selfishness,  or  pride,  or  greed.  This 
boy  is  wearing  the  King's  uniform,  the  envelope  and 


256  O.H.M.S. 

the  address  seem  all  right,  but  inside  he  is  a  sad  dis- 
appointment and  not  at  all  what  we  expected." 

Don't  get  into  the  wrong  envelope,  boys  and  girls. 
Don't  pretend  to  belong  to  the  King  and  be  really 
serving  yourself.  Kemember  that  when  you  wear  the 
King's  uniform  you  must  carry  His  messages  faithfully. 

3.  Lastly,  if  we  want  to  be  swift  messengers,  if  we 
want  to  be  faithful  messengers,  we  must  kee'p  in  touch 
with  the  King.  We  cannot  carry  His  messages  unless 
we  are  in  communication  with  Him.  But  He  has 
made  a  path  for  us  all  whereby  we  may  reach  Him  in 
a  moment,  and  that  path  is  called  the  Way  of  Prayer. 
If  we  go  to  Him  frequently  by  that  path  we  need 
never  fear  to  prove  unfaithful,  for  He  will  show  us 
His  mind  and  heart,  He  will  fill  us  with  His  spirit, 
He  will  guide  us  in  all  our  ways. 


TWO   SAINTS  OF  GOD. 

Josiah  was  eig^ht  years  old  when  he  began  to  reig^.  ...  In 
the  eigfhth  year  of  his  reign,  while  he  was  yet  young,  he  began 
to  seek  after  the  God  of  David  his  father. — 2  Chron.  xxxiy.  i,  3. 

To-day  I  want  to  tell  you  about  two  kings.  One  of 
them  lived  about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  the 
other  about  twelve  hundred  years  after.  One  of  them 
ruled  a  little  Eastern  kingdom,  the  other  a  great 
European  country.  But  although  they  were  separated 
by  eighteen  hundred  years,  although  one  was  a  Hebrew 
and  the  other  a  Frenchman,  they  had  many  points  in 
common. 

Both  had  good  wise  mothers.  Both  began  to  reign 
when  they  were  children.  Both  gave  themselves  early 
to  God's  service.  Both  lived  upright  and  true  lives. 
Both  ruled  wisely  and  well. 

Now  of  course  you  want  to  know  who  these  kings 
were.     So  I  shall  tell  you. 

The  first  one  was  called  Josiah.  You  may  read  all 
about  him  in  the  twenty-second  and  twenty-third 
chapters  of  2  Kings  and  the  thirty-fourth  and  thirty- 
fifth  of  2  Chronicles.  He  was  king  of  Judah  for  thirty- 
one  years  and  he  began  to  reign  when  he  was  only 
eight   years   of  age.     Just   think  of  being  a  king  at 


258  TWO  SAINTS  OF  GOD 

eight  years !  Mustn't  it  have  beea  a  dreadful  responsi-* 
bility  ? 

Now  Josiah  had  a  bad  father.  He  forsook  the  God 
of  Israel  and  worshipped  the  idols  of  the  heathen.  He 
was  so  bad  that  at  last  his  own  servants  rose  up  and 
slew  him.  But  if  the  little  king  had  a  bad  father 
he  had  one  tremendous  advantage — he  had  a  good 
mother.  How  do  we  know  that?  Well,  there  are 
two  reasons. 

One  is  that  she  was  called  Jedidah.  And  Jedidah  just 
means  "  beloved  of  the  Lord."  It  was  the  name  that 
the  prophet  Nathan  gave  to  Solomon  when  he  was  a 
tiny  baby.  Now  in  those  days  a  name  meant  much 
more  than  it  does  to-day.  It  was  not  given  without 
reason.  And  so  when  we  learn  that  Josiah's  mother 
was  called  "  the  beloved  of  the  Lord "  we  may  be 
pretty  sure  that  she  was  a  very  good  woman  indeed. 

And  the  other  reason  is  that  Jedidah  had  such  a 
good  son.  Josiah  might  have  been  a  bad  boy.  His 
father  was  a  bad  man,  and  the  chances  were  pretty 
equal  that  he  should  turn  out  badly  too.  But  he 
didn't :  he  did  the  very  opposite ;  and  I  believe  it  was 
largely  owing  to  the  love,  and  the  care,  and  the 
training,  and  the  influence  of  his  mother.  For,  boys 
and  girls,  more  than  any  other  person  in  the  world, 
your  mother  has  the  maldng  or  the  marring  of  you, 
and  if  you  have  a  good  mother,  then  go  down  on  your 
knees  and  thank  God  with  all  your  heart  for  her. 

But  we  must  return  to  Josiah.  Josiah  was  eight 
years  old  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  the  next  thing 


2  CHRONICLES  XXXIV.   1,  3  259 

we  are  told  about  him  is  that  in  the  eighth  year  of 
his  reiga,  while  he  was  still  young,  when  he  was  about 
fifteen  or  sixteen,  he  began  to  aeek  after  the  God  of 
David.  The  seed  his  mother  had  been  sowing  quietly 
all  these  years  had  begun  to  bear  fruit,  and  of  his  own 
accord  he  sought  after  God. 

But  Josiah  did  not  stop  short  at  seeking  after  God. 
He  felt  that  God  had  something  for  him  to  do.  His 
grandfather  had  built  altars  to  heathen  gods  and  made 
carved  images,  and  hia  father  and  all  the  people  had 
worshipped  them  and  forsaken  the  true  God.  Josiah 
set  himself  to  destroy  everything  that  belonged  to  this 
heathen  worship.  And  that  was  a  very  brave  and 
daring  thing  to  do.  He  broke  down  the  altars,  crushed 
the  images  to  powder,  and  overthrew  the  temples. 
But  he  did  more  than  destroy,  he  built  up  too.  The 
Temple  of  God  had  fallen  into  a  sad  state  of  neglect 
and  he  gave  orders  that  it  should  be  repaired. 

Now  whilst  the  workmen  weie  busy  with  their 
repaii-s  a  wonderful  discovery  was  made.  In  some 
corner  or  cupboard  where  it  had  long  lain,  covered 
with  dust  and  cobwebs,  Hilkiah,  the  high  priest,  found 
a  book  containing  the  laws  of  God.  It  was  the  book 
that  we  know  as  Deuteronomy.  Hilkiah  gave  it  to 
Shaphan  the  scribe,  and  Shaphan  carried  it  to  the 
king. 

And  when  the  king  read  the  book  he  was  exceed- 
ingly sad.  For  he  saw  how  it  was  foretold  in  that 
book  that  if  the  Isi'aelites  forsook  the  true  God  for 
the  gods  of  the  heathen   and   followed   after   wrong 


260  TWO  SAINTS  OF  GOD 

paths,  then  their  enemies  would  come  and  carry  them 
away  captive  into  a  strange  land.  And  he  was 
ashamed  and  sorry  too  that  the  nation  had  done  so 
many  wrong  things  and  forgotten  God. 

So  he  gathered  the  people  together  into  the  house 
of  God  and  he  read  aloud  to  them  from  the  book  that 
had  been  found.  Then  he  took  a  solemn  vow  that  he 
would  keep  the  commandments  of  God  with  all  his 
heart  and  with  all  his  soul.  And  he  made  the  people 
promise  that  they  would  keep  them  too. 

Josiah  died  in  battle  fighting  against  the  king  of 
Egypt  and  all  Judah  made  a  great  mourning  for  him. 
For  he  was  the  best  king  that  ever  reigned  in  Judah 
and  his  people  loved  him  dearly. 

The  other  king  I  want  to  tell  you  about  is  Louis  ix. 
of  France. 

Louis  was  born  at  Poissy  on  St.  Mark's  Day  in  the 
year  1214 — ^just  a  hundred  years  before  the  battle  of 
Bannockburn.  He  was  baptized  in  the  church  at 
Poissy  and  there  the  cross  was  traced  on  his  brow.  In 
after  years  he  spoke  of  that  church  as  the  place  where 
he  had  received  his  greatest  honour.  When  he  said 
that,  his  friends  thought  he  must  be  making  a  mistake, 
and  that  he  meant  the  great  cathedral  at  Eheims 
where  the  crown  was  placed  on  his  head.  But  Louis 
considered  that  his  greatest  honour  was,  not  the  crown, 
but  the  cross  that  was  laid  on  his  brow  at  Poissy. 

The  little  prince  had  a  bright  sunny  nature  and  he 
was  beloved  by  everyone,  friends  and  servants  alike. 


2  CHRONICLES  XXXIV.  1,  3  261 

From  his  childhood  he  was  pitiful  and  tender  to  the 
poor  and  the  sick,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  do  a 
kindness  to  anyone. 

Louis  was  only  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died,  and  as  his  elder  brother  had  died  previously  he 
was  now  king  of  France.  Until  he  was  twenty-one  his 
mother  acted  as  regent  and  she  ruled  wisely  and  well. 
For  Queen  Blanche  was  a  splendid  woman.  A  writer 
of  her  day  said  that  she  had  the  courage  of  a  man  in 
the  heart  of  a  woman. 

But  besides  governing  well  the  queen  brought  up 
her  son  wisely.  She  never  forgot  that  he  was  called 
to  rule  over  a  great  kingdom  and  it  was  her  aim  that 
he  should  become  worthy  of  his  kingship.  He  was 
trained  in  all  the  arts  and  the  learning  that  go  towards 
the  making  of  a  good  king.  No  spoiling  was  allowed 
in  the  royal  palace  and  the  rod  was  not  spared.  But 
above  all  the  queen  taught  her  son  to  believe  in  God 
and  to  love  and  fear  Him  in  his  youth.  In  after  years 
King  Louis  remembered  how  his  mother  had  once  said 
that  she  would  rather  see  him  dead  than  guilty  of  a 
single  mortal  sin. 

And  Louis  proved  worthy  of  the  training.  He  grew 
up  brave  and  chivalrous,  wise  and  good.  He  was  a 
lover  of  peace  and  justice,  a  defender  of  the  oppressed, 
a  succourer  of  all  that  were  poor  and  in  distress. 

It  would  take  long  to  tell  of  all  Louis'  kind  and 
good  deeds.  He  built  hospitals  for  the  sick  in  several 
towns,  and  at  Paris  he  founded  an  asylum  for  the 
blind  which  still  exists.     Every  day  one  hundred  and 


262  TWO  SAINTS  OF  GOD 

twenty  poor  people  were  fed  in  the  palace  and  often 
the  king  served  them  with  his  own  hands.  He  gave 
away  much  money  to  the  needy.  When  his  counsellors 
objected  he  replied  that  he  would  rather  spend  his 
surplus  money  in  that  way  than  in  luxury  and  vain- 
glory. In  those  days  leprosy  was  a  common  disease  in 
France.  It  had  been  brought  back  by  the  Crusaders 
from  the  Holy  Land  Now  the  lepers  were  kept  apart 
in  isolated  houses,  but  Louis  was  not  afraid  to  approach 
them,  and  with  his  own  hands  he  fed  them  and  attended 
to  them. 

If  you  want  to  learn  of  Louis'  valour  you  must  read 
of  the  brave  deeds  he  did  in  Egypt  during  the  Seventh 
Crusade.  The  Crusade  was  a  failure,  but  Louis  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  courage  and  his  considera- 
tion for  others. 

Louis  died  in  Tunis  in  1270  on  his  way  to  the 
Eighth  Crusade.  When  he  was  dying  he  sent  for  his 
eldest  son  and  gave  him  wise  counsels  about  the 
governing  of  the  people.  He  told  him  always  to  be 
tender  and  compassionate  to  the  poor,  not  to  tax  the 
people  unduly,  to  deal  justly  and  rightly  with  rich  and 
poor  alike,  and  to  see  that  the  magistrates  and  judges 
governed  well  Above  all,  he  counselled  him  to  make 
himself  beloved  of  his  people. 

So  died  Louis  the  Good,  afterwards  called  Saint 
Louis.  And  all  the  country  mourned  him,  for  all  loved 
him  from  the  richest  noble  to  the  humblest  serf. 

Why  have  I  told  you  these  stories  ?    It  is  because  I 


2  CHRONICLES  XXXIV.  1,  3  263 

want  you  to  know  how  good  and  noble  a  man  may 
become,  to  realize  that  it  is  never  too  early  to  begin  to 
serve  God.  King  Josiah  began  at  sixteen,  and  1  think 
King  Louis  began  at  twelve,  when  he  received  his 
knighthood  on  the  day  before  he  was  crowned.  All 
alone  and  all  night  he  watched  his  armour  in  the 
Cathedral  at  Kheims  and  he  lifted  his  heart  in  prayer 
that  God  would  accept  his  service  and  make  him  a 
worthy  knight. 

And,  boys  and  girls,  you  can  never  begin  better  than 
by  serving  G^d  in  your  youth.  Many  of  the  great 
saints  of  the  world  began  to  serve  Him  early.  Do  you 
know  that  you  have  a  glorious  privilege — the  privilege 
of  giving  your  fresh  young  lives,  all  unspoiled,  to  God  ? 
Grown-up  people  can't  do  that.  Many  of  them  can 
give  only  a  few  poor  tattered  remnants,  and  God  is 
willing  to  accept  even  that.  But  you  have  the  joy  and 
privilege  of  giving  all,  and  that  gift  is  a  sacrifice  very 
precious  in  the  sight  of  the  King  of  kings. 


YESTERDAY,  TO-DAY, 
TO-MORROW. 

The  matter  of  the  day  in  his  day. — Ezra  iii.  4  (AVm). 

The  text  is  taken  from  an  account  of  the  keeping  of 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  after  the  Jews  had  returned 
from  Babylon. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  which  was  held  in  the 
month  of  October,  was  one  of  the  great  Jewish  festivals. 
It  was  their  harvest  thanksgiving,  and  celebrated  the 
ingathering  of  the  year's  corn  and  wine  and  oil.  It 
was  a  time  of  great  joy,  and  to  express  their  joy  the 
Jews  gave  presents  to  each  other,  much  as  we  do  at 
Christmas. 

The  feast  lasted  for  eight  days  and  on  each  day 
sacrifices  were  offered  up — sacrifices  of  rams  and  lambs 
and  bullocks.  Now  there  was  a  curious  thing  about 
these  sacrifices.  They  varied  each  day.  On  the  first 
day  thirteen  bullocks  were  offered,  on  the  second  twelve, 
on  the  third  eleven,  and  so  on.  Each  day  a  bullock 
fewer  was  offered  until  on  the  seventh  day  seven  were 
sacrificed.  On  the  eighth  there  was  a  change.  One 
bullock  only  was  offered  up,  along  with  one  ram,  seven 
lambs  and  a  goat. 

Now  this  little  bit  of  a  verse  which  we  have  chosen 


EZRA  III.  4  265 

to-day  refers  to  these  sacrifices.  Each  day  differed  as 
you  have  seen,  and  these  old  priests  kept  to  the  laws 
and  rules  that  had  been  laid  down.  They  didn't  offer 
up  Monday's  sacrifice  on  Tuesday,  or  Wednesday's  on 
Thursday.  They  offered  their  burnt  offerings  as  the 
duty  of  each  day  required,  or,  as  the  margin  puts  it, 
**  the  matter  of  the  day  in  his  day." 

I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  we  chose  these 
words  as  one  of  our  mottoes. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  was  once  asked  by  someone 
how  he  was  able  to  write  his  remarkable  dispatches  in 
the  midst  of  all  the  pressure  of  war.  Do  you  know 
what  he  replied  ? — "  My  rule  has  always  been  to  do 
the  business  of  the  day  in  the  day."  If  we  would 
attend  to  the  matter  of  each  day  in  its  day,  some  of  us 
would  be  much  happier  and  more  comfortable  people. 
If  we  could  just  stick  to  the  work  of  each  day  in  its 
day  and  put  our  whole  mind  into  that,  we  should  avoid 
a  great  deal  of  worry  and  the  loss  of  much  energy. 

Now  there  are  three  things  which  it  is  good  to 
remember. 

1.  DonH  bother  about  yesterday  to-day. — Nobody  wants 
you  to,  nobody  asks  you  to.  If  you  have  made  mistakes, 
well,  it  just  can't  be  helped.  I  daresay  you  are  sorry 
about  it.  But  the  best  way  to  be  sorry  is  to  try  with 
all  your  might  to  do  better  to-day. 

2.  Don't  bother  about  to-morrow  to-day. — If  you  look 
after  to-day,  to-morrow  wiU  look  after  itself.  So  don't 
keep  worrying  about  all  the  dreadful  things  that  are 


266     YESTERDAY,  TO-DAY,  TO-MORROW 

going  to  happen — about  the  tooth  that  is  going  to  be 
pulled,  and  the  examination  that  is  going  to  be  held. 
And  don't  keep  dreaming  so  much  about  the  wonderful 
things  you  are  going  to  do  some  day  that  you  let  slip 
the  golden  opportunities  of  to-day.  The  boys  and  girls 
who  do  nothing  but  dream  about  what  they  will  do 
some  day  often  grow  up  into  the  men  and  women  who 
do  nothing  but  regret  what  they  might  do  if  they  had 
their  chances  over  again. 

He  used  to  dream  of  things  he'd  do 
When  grown  to  be  a  man,  ' 

Beguilmg  boyhood's  years  away 
With  many  an  idle  plan. 

And  now,  when  grown  to  be  a  maa* 

He  knows  no  greater  joy 
Than  dreaming  of  the  things  he'd  do 

If  he  were  still  a  boy.^ 

3.  Never  put  off  till  to-morrow  what  you  can  do  to- 
day.— There  are  lots  of  people  who  are  never  ready 
to-morrow  because  they  wasted  time  and  opportunity 
to-day.  There  are  plenty  of  people  who  lose  their 
chances  to-morrow  because  they  didn't  do  their  duty 
to-day. 

If  you  ever  visit  the  north-east  of  Scotland  you  must 
go  to  see  the  fine  old  Castle  of  Dunnottar,  which  stands 
on  a  cliff  two  miles  south  of  Stonehaven,  the  county 
town  of  Kincardineshire.  Dunnottar  Castle  formerly 
bdlonged  to  the  Keiths  who  were  Earls-Marischal  of 
^  Thomas  Nunan,  in  A  Garland  of  Verse,  81. 


EZRA  III.  4  267 

Scotland  and  had  charge  of  the  Scottish  regalia.  There 
are  many  thrilling  stories  connected  with  the  history 
of  that  old  keep,  but  it  is  not  of  those  I  want  to  tell 
you  to-day. 

About  a  mile  inland  from  the  castle  lies  the  old 
churchyard  of  Dunnottar  where  the  Earls-Marischal 
were  formerly  buried.  In  the  days  of  Sir  Walter  Scott 
the  family  vault  in  the  burial  ground  was  fast  falling 
into  decay.  At  that  time  the  castle  and  its  domains 
belonged  to  one  Keith  of  Kavelstone,  who  was  a  relative 
of  Scott. 

Now  Mr.  Keith  conceived  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
repair  the  vault  and  he  accordingly  took  estimates  for 
that  purpose.  It  was  reported  that  £10  would  be 
required  to  put  the  building  in  order.  Mr.  Keith 
offered  £5  and  his  offer  was  refused.  Two  years  later 
he  regretted  his  decision  and  offered  the  full  sum.  But 
meantime  wind  and  rain  had  been  doing  their  work 
and  the  answer  came  back  that  £20  would  now  scarcely 
suffice.  The  result  was  that,  as  Sir  Walter  Scott  says, 
Mr.  Keith  "  hummed  and  ha'd "  for  three  more  years 
and  then  offered  £20.  The  breaches  had  widened  and 
the  reply  was  that  now  £50  would  be  required.  One 
other  year  Mr.  Keith  delayed,  and  then  sent  a  cheque 
for  £50.  It  was  returned  by  post  immediately  with 
the  information  that  the  Earl-Marischal's  aisle  had 
fallen  the  preceding  week ! 

Boys  and  girls,  that  story  speaks  for  itself,  but 
remember  that  there  are  golden  opportunities  passing 
by  you  every  day — opportunities  not  only  of  growing 


268     YESTERDAY,  TO-DAY,  TO-MORROW 

wiser  and  better,  but  of  doing  little  kindnesses  to  those 
around  you. 

One  other  story  I  want  to  tell  you.  Once  an  Indian 
native  told  a  missionary  that  he  believed  in  Jesus  and 
meant  to  give  Him  his  love  some  day.  A  native  helper 
who  was  standing  by  said  to  him,  "  If  you  and  I  were 
walking  through  a  jungle  and  came  face  to  face  with  a 
tiger,  and  I  put  myself  in  front  of  you  and  cried,  '  Run, 
brother,  for  your  life,'  would  you  love  me  ? "  "  Yes, 
surely."  "  When  ?  some  day  ? "  The  native  saw  the 
point.  He  said,  "  I  will  give  myself  to  Him  now  and 
you  shall  baptize  me  to-morrow." 

That  is  all,  boys  and  girls.  I'm  not  going  to  preach 
a  sermon,  but  I  want  you  to  preach  it  to  yourselves. 


ABSOLUTELY  IT. 

Let  it  be  done  exactly. — Ezra  vii.  23. 

The  other  day  I  watched  a  girl  sewing.  Eound  her 
neck  she  had  hung  an  inch- tape,  and  every  now  and 
then  she  stopped  sewing,  took  her  inch-tape,  and 
measured  a  fold  in  her  cloth.  Then  she  ran  her 
needle  and  thread  along  the  fold.  She  was  making 
tucks,  you  see,  and  to  make  tucks  that  will  look 
nice  when  you  wear  them  you  have  to  be  most 
particular.  If  you  haven't  got  exactly  the  same 
distance  between  each  tuck,  or  if  you  haven't  got 
exactly  the  same  depth  of  tuck,  the  consequences  will 
be  rather  peculiar.  The  tucks  will  look  Uke  the  waves 
of  the  sea.  One  will  be  dipping  down  to  meet  another, 
and  a  third  will  be  rising  up  to  touch  its  neighbour. 
The  set  of  tucks  and  the  whole  garment  will  be 
spoiled  if  the  measurements  are  not  exact. 

Inch-tapes  are  only  for  girls,  the  boys  will  say. 
But,  boys,  what  about  a  foot-rule  ?  That's  just  a 
masculine  inch-tape.  You  use  it,  and  you  know  that 
it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  you  to  do  any 
carpentry,  or  handy  jobs  that  require  measurement, 
without  the  aid  of  a  foot-rule.  If  you  haven't  one  of 
your  own  you  know  how  you  envy  the  workman  who 

260 


270  ABSOLUTELY  IT 

comes  to  the  house  and  whips  out  a  foot-rule  from 
that  capacious  back-pocket  of  his.  It  positively  makes 
your  fingers  itch  to  see  him  open  out  that  rule  and 
snap  it  together  again  in  a  professional  style. 

Inch-tapes  and  foot-rules,  plumb-lines  and  spirit- 
levels — they  are  all  invaluable,  for  they  help  us  to 
turn  out  correct  and  exact  work.  Guess-work  may  be 
clever,  but  it  is  risky  and  dishonest. 

Now  the  world  may  be  divided  into  those  who  use 
inch-tapes  and  foot-rules,  and  those  who  don't.  The 
first  will  have  only  what  is  "absolutely  it"  and  the 
second  are  content  with  a  "  near  enough."  You  hear 
some  people  say  such  and  such  is  "  near  enough "  or 
"What's  half  an  inch  here  or  there?"  or  "A  penny 
more  or  less  doesn't  matter."  But  that's  where  they 
are  wrong.  "Near  enough"  is  not  near  enough.  It 
might  as  well  be  miles  away. 

There  are  two  reasons  that  such  people  usually  give 
why  "  near  enough  "  will  do,  and  I  want  to  show  you 
that  both  are  false. 

1.  The  first  reason  they  give  is  that  "  near  enough  " 
is  easier  than  "  absolutely  it."  It  may  seem  easier  at 
the  moment  not  to  measure  your  tuck,  but  it  saves  you 
unpicking  it  and  sewing  it  over  again.  It  may  seem 
easier  not  to  add  up  your  column  of  pence  twice,  but 
it  will  be  less  easy  to  recount  the  whole  sum — pounds, 
shillings,  and  pence.  It  may  be  easier  to  go  on 
building  a  wall  and  adding  brick  to  brick  without 
constantly  stopping  to  use  your  plumb-line  to  see  that 


EZRA  VII.  23  271 

it  is  straight  up  and  down,  but  it  is  much  more 
troublesome  to  have  to  pull  down  the  wall  and  rebuild 
it  because  it  is  leaning  over  by  the  time  you  reach  the 
top.  Exactness  is  a  saving,  not  a  waste,  of  time,  and 
the  "  absolutely  its  "  are  always  first  in  the  end. 

2.  The  second  reason  which  the  "  near  enoughs " 
give  is  that  it  really  doesn't  matter.  Doesn't  it  ?  Care- 
lessness always  matters.  It  is  dangerous  for  yourself, 
and  it  is  dangerous  for  other  people. 

A  workman  who  was  making  a  saddle  put  in  a 
piece  of  inferior  work,  but  he  thought  it  would  pass 
and  did  not  trouble  to  make  it  right.  That  saddle 
was  ridden  in  the  Zulu  war  by  the  Prince  Imperial. 
During  a  battle  the  prince  was  surrounded  by  the  wild 
tribesmen  and  had  to  fight  for  dear  life.  He  had  a 
good  horse  under  him,  his  friends  were  coming  to  his 
rescue,  and  it  was  merely  a  case  of  holding  on  till  they 
arrived,  but  suddenly  his  saddle  gave  way  and  he  was 
thrown  to  the  ground.  In  a  moment  the  Zulus  were 
upon  him  and  he  was  wounded  to  death.  The  heir  to 
the  throne  of  ^France  lost  his  life  because  a  careless 
saddler  thought  "  near  enough  "  would  do  in  making  a 
saddle. 

Here  is  another  story.  Some  years  ago  the  United 
States  of  America  were  passing  a  bill  about  the  articles 
that  should  be  admitted  into  the  country  free  of  duty. 
Amongst  the  goods  named  were  fruit-plants,  with  a 
hyphe^-  between  "  fruit "  and  "  plants."  That  meant 
that  any  growing  fruit-plants  for  transplanting  might 
come  in   without  paying  duty.     The  clerk   who  was 


272  ABSOLUTELY  IT 

copying  the  bill  missed  out  the  hyphen  and  stuck  in 
a  comma  instead,  making  the  words  read  "fruit, 
plants,"  etc.  What  do  you  think  happened  ?  For  a 
whole  year,  until  Congress  could  remedy  the  blunder, 
all  oranges,  lemons,  bananas,  grapes,  and  other  foreign 
fruits  came  in  duty  free,  and  the  American  Government 
lost  about  half  a  million  pounds  sterling.  That  was  a 
pretty  costly  comma,  wasn't  it  ? 

Boys  and  girls,  don't  believe  the  "near  enoughs." 
They  are  wrong  every  time.  Make  up  your  mind  to- 
day that  you  will  be  an  "  absolutely  it " — for  your  own 
sake,  because  it  is  the  only  honest  way;  for  other 
people's  sake,  because  it  is  the  only  safe  way ;  most  of 
all  for  Christ's  sake,  because  it  is  His  waj. 


THE   COLOUR   OF  VIRTUE. 

I  am  ashamed  and  blush. — Ezra  ix.  6. 
Neither  could  they  blush. — Jer.  vi.  15. 

Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  how  the  Virginian 
creeper  got  its  blush  ?  The  story  is  only  a  legend,  but 
it  is  very  beautiful  and  worth  repeating.  It  tells  that 
when  the  plants  and  flowers  were  first  created  they 
were  all  green ;  but  God  sent  down  to  earth  one  of  His 
angels,  and  told  him  to  give  each  flower  a  colour  of  its 
own.  So  the  angel  flew  busily  over  the  earth,  and  each 
flower  he  touched  turned  some  lovely  hue.  He  gave 
the  crocus  its  gold,  and  the  violet  its  purple,  and  the 
rose  its  red,  and  the  poppy  its  scarlet,  the  forget-me- 
not  its  blu^  and  the  snowdrop  its  white.  He  was  a 
very  busy  angel,  I  assure  you,  as  he  flew  over  hill  and 
dale  and  wood  and  field,  painting  all  the  flowers  he  saw. 
But  alas !  he  missed  a  very  small  creeper  lying 
hidden  in  the  shadow  of  a  great  wall.  It  felt  dread- 
fully sad  to  think  that  the  angel  had  passed  it  over, 
and  for  a  little  while  it  lay  on  the  ground  and  wept. 
But  after  a  time  it  cheered  up  and  said  to  itself,  "  Well, 
though  I  may  not  be  beautiful  I  can  always  be  useful. 
I'll  set  to  work  and  cover  this  great  bare  w^ll."  So  it 
climbed  and  spread,  and  climbed  and  spread,  till  the 
wall  had  a  magnificent  covering  of  green. 


274  THE  COLOUR  OF  VIRTUE 

In  autumn  the  angel  returned  to  earth  to  see  how 
his  flowers  were  looking,  and,  as  he  flew,  his  eye  lit 
upon  this  wonderful  green  thing  spreading  all  over  the 
wall.  Though  it  had  no  colour  but  green  it  looked  so 
glad  and  busy  that  the  angel  stopped  to  admire  it  and 
praise  it  for  all  it  had  so  bravely  done.  And  when  the 
angel  spoke,  the  Virginian  creeper  felt  so  pleased  to 
think  that  what  it  had  done  was  good  in  the  angel's 
sight  that  it  blushed  a  glorious  crimson.  And 
when  autumn  comes  and  flowers  decay,  the  Virginian 
creeper  still  blushes  crimson,  remembering  how  the 
angel  praised  it  long  ugo. 

That  is  a  pretty  legend,  isn't  it?  "Yes,"  I  hear 
some  of  you  sigh,  "  but  I'd  rather  the  Virginian  creeper 
blushed  than  me.  It's  so  horribly  awkward.  I  just 
can't  keep  from  blushing,  and  the  more  I  want  not 
to  do  it  the  more  I  do  it  I'm  so  ashamed  of  myself 
sometimes;" 

Boys  and  girls,  you  should  never  be  ashamed  of  blush- 
ing. What  you  should  be  ashamed  of  is  not  being  able 
to  blush.  A  blush  is  a  really  good  thing,  and  it  is  only 
right  that  your  rosy  cheeks  should  sometimes  grow  a 
few  shades  rosier.  Why!  we  blush  for  pleasure,  we 
blush  because  of  praise,  we  blush  with  honest  indigna- 
tion, and  I  hope  we  blush  for  shame  or  guilt. 

Of  course  I  know  there's  a  sort  of  blush  that  really 
is  most  annoying — the  unnecessary  blush.  It  is  the 
blush  that  you  feel  when  you  walk  into  a  room  or  a 
public  building,  and  you  are  certain  that  every  eye  is 


EZRA  IX.  6  275 

upon  you.  It  is  the  blush  that  comes  when  you  and 
a  few  others  are  accused  of  some  fault,  and  you,  who 
are  not  guilty,  and  know  nothing  about  it,  flush  a 
brilliant  scarlet.  Well  that  blu£  comes  from  shyness 
or  self-consciousness ;  and  the  cure  for  it  is  just  to 
forget  yourself.  A  hundred  chances  to  one  nobody  is 
thinking  of  you  or  taking  special  notice  of  you.  At 
such  times  try  hard  to  think  of  some  other  thing  or 
some  other  person,  and  you  will  be  astonished  how  that 
will  help  to  keep  the  blush  away. 

So  much  for  the  unnecessary  blush  !  But  there  are 
times  when  a  blush  is  necessary,  and  if  we  don't  blush 
then  we  are  in  a  sad  case  indeed. 

You  will  notice  we  have  two  texts  to-day,  and  the 
first  says,  "  I  am  ashamed  and  blush."  That  was  the 
prophet  Ezra  speaking  to  God.  Why  was  he  blushing  ? 
He  was  blushing  because  he  loved  the  people  of  Israel 
80  much  that  he  was  ashamed  of  their  faults.  The 
second  text  is  from  the  prophet  Jeremiah.  He  also 
loved  the  people  of  Israel,  but  what  grieved  him  was 
that  they  were  so  hardened  in  their  sins  that  they 
couldn't  even  blush  for  them. 

Boys  and  girls,  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  if  we  can't 
blush.  It  means  that  we  are  no  longer  ashamed,  that 
we  no  longer  feel  guilty  when  we  do  wrong,  that  we 
have  grown  absolutely  brazen. 

•*  Courage,  my  boy ! "  said  Diogenes  of  old,  when  he 
saw  a  youth  flushing.  "  That  is  the  colour  of  virtue." 
Diogenes  was  a  Greek  philosopher,  and  he  must  have 
known   the  explanation   which    the  Greeks  gave   of 


276  THE  COLOUR  OF  VIRTUE 

shame.  The  Greeks  said  that  Jupiter  was  so  sorry  for 
the  miseries  that  men  brought  on  themselves  by  their 
sins  that  he  sent  Mercury  to  implant  in  their  hearts 
justice  and  shame,  that  these  two  virtues  might  save 
the  world  from  ruin. 

We  are  wiser  than  the  wise  old  Greeks,  for  we  know 
that  it  was  God  who  implanted  in  man's  heart  the 
senses  both  of  shame  and  of  justice ;  but  the  Greeks 
were  quite  right  in  their  idea  that  justice  and  shame 
help  men  to  be  good.  If  we  are  ashamed  to  do  wrong 
deeds,  if  we  are  ashamed  to  listen  to  evil  words  and 
horrid  stories,  if  we  are  ashamed  of  meanness,  or 
covetousness,  or  untruthfulness,  if  we  can  blush  for  all 
these  things,  and  blush  also  the  hot  blush  of  anger  at 
wrong  done  to  others,  then  there  is  some  hope  for  us. 
People  will  think  none  the  less  of  us  for  such  blushes ; 
and  God,  who  sees  the  faintest  tinge  of  red,  will  rejoice 
that  His  child  can  fly  the  flag  of  virtue. 


HOW   THEY   BUILT   THE   WALLS. 

We  made  our  prayer  unto  our  God,  and  set  a  watch  ag^ainst 
them  day  ahd  night.— Neh.  iv.  9. 

Every  one  with  one  of  his  hands  wrought  in  the  work,  and 
with  the  other  held  his  weapon. — Neh.  iv.  17. 

To-day  I  want  to  carry  you  all  away  with  me  back 
across  the  centuries  till  we  reach  a  time  more  than  four 
hundred  years  before  Jesus  came  into  the  world.  And 
I  want  to  take  you  far  across  land  and  sea  till  we  stand 
outside  old  Jerusalem.  Will  you  all  please  put  on  a 
magic  wishing-cap  and  think  yourselves  there  ? 

We  are  going  to  take  a  night  ride  round  the  city 
with  a  man  called  Nehemiah,  and  we  are  going  to  see 
aU  that  he  sees.  The  moon  is  shining  brightly  and 
everything  shows  up  almost  as  well  as  in  the  daylight. 
It  shines  down  on  the  beautiful  Temple  of  God  within 
the  city,  but  it  shines,  too,  on  ruined  walls  and  gates 
destroyed  by  fire.  We  try  to  enter  by  one  gate  but 
there  is  no  room  for  our  mules  to  pass.  The  gateway 
is  choked  with  stones  and  rubbish.  So  we  ride  on,  and 
we  begin  to  feel  very  sad  as  we  look  at  all  this  ruin 
and  desolation.  We  ask  what  it  means,  and  this  is  the 
story  we  are  told. 

About  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  Nebuchadrezzar, 
king  of  Babylon,  laid  siege  to  this  beautiful  city  of 
Jerusalem.     He  broke  down  the  walls,  destroyed  the 

277 


278     HOW  THEY  BUILT  THE  WALLS 

Temple,  and  carried  away  many  of  the  Jews  captive 
into  Babylon.  But  after  many  years  the  king  of  Persia 
defeated  and  conquered  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  this 
new  king  allowed  the  Jews  to  return  to  their  own 
country  and  rebuild  the  Temple  of  their  God. 

But  although  the  Temple  has  been  rebuilt  the  walls 
still  lie  in  ruins,  and  no  city  in  these  days  is  safe  unless 
it  is  surrounded  by  a  high  strong  wall. 

So  Nehemiah  has  come  to  Jerusalem  to  help  the  Jews 
to  raise  their  wall  again,  and  as  he  rides  round  the  city 
he  is  planning  how  he  will  set  them  all  to  work  to  build  it. 

Now  we  are  going  to  let  a  few  weeks  pass  and  we 
are  going  back  to  look  at  the  city.  The  wall  has  been 
built  to  half  its  height  and  everywhere  men  are  busy 
carrying  burdens  or  getting  the  stones  fixed  in  their 
places.  Suddenly  a  report  comes  in  that  the  enemies 
of  the  Jews  are  plotting  to  destroy  the  wall.  These 
men  do  not  want  a  fortified  Jerusalem  and  they  have 
tried  to  do  all  they  can  to  stop  the  work. 

But  Nehemiah  is  ready  for  them.  He  does  three 
things  to  thwart  their  plans.  First  he  prays  to  God. 
But  although  he  knows  that  God  will  help  him  he  does 
not  neglect  to  do  his  part.  So  next  he  sets  a  watch 
day  and  night.  And  lastly  he  arms  every  man.  Those 
who  are  bearing  burdens  on  their  heads  or  backs 
and  so  have  one  hand  free  carry  a  javelin;  and  the 
masons  who  require  both  hands  for  their  work  have  a 
sword  fastened  to  their  side.  In  the  meantime  the  main 
work  goes  on  from  day  to  day.  Stone  rises  on  stone 
until  at  last  the  wall  is  finished  and  Jerusalem  is  safe. 


NEHEMIAH  IV.   9,  17  279 

I  wonder  if  you  can  guess  why  I  have  chosen  this 
old-time  story  to-day.  It  is  because  we  have  all  within 
us — you  and  I  and  everyone  else — a  beautiful  temple 
of  God.  That  temple  is  the  temple  of  the  soul  and  we 
must  build  a  high,  strong  protecting  wall  round  it — 
the  wall  of  character.  We  have  to  build  that  wall 
stone  by  stone,  and  inch  by  inch.  Sometimes  we  put  in 
a  good  habit,  sometimes  an  unselfish  act.  Sometimes 
we  add  a  kind  word  and  sometimes  a  loving  look.  But 
whatever  they  are,  if  they  are  good  stones,  they  all  help 
to  build  a  beautiful  strong  wall  to  protect  God's  temple. 

Now  we  all  have  an  Enemy  who  wants  to  knock 
down  our  wall  and  spoil  the  temple  of  our  soul,  and 
like  Nehemiah  we  must  defend  ourselves  against  him 
in  three  ways. 

First  we  must  pray  to  God.  He  alone  is  stronger 
than  the  Enemy  and  it  is  only  with  God's  help  that 
we  can  gain  the  victory  over  him,  so  we  are  never  really 
safe  unless  we  keep  near  to  God  in  prayer. 

But  besides  praying  to  God  we  must  do  our  part. 
We  must  not  ask  God  to  help  us  and  take  no  trouble 
to  keep  the  Enemy  away.  So  next  we  must  set  a  watch 
day  and  night.  The  Enemy  is  very  cunning  and  you 
may  be  sure  he  will  try  to  get  into  our  fortress  at  the 
side  where  we  are  not  watching. 

Do  you  remember  the  story  in  ^sop's  Fables  about 
the  deer  with  the  blind  eye  ?  This  deer  fed  on  the 
grass  between  a  wood  and  the  sea,  and  she  always  kept 
her  blind  eye  to  the  sea  and  her  good  eye  towards  the 
wood  where  the  hunters  and  the  dogs  were.     But  one 


280     HOW  THEY  BUILT  THE  WALLS 

day  a  hunter  noticed  this ;  so  he  got  a  little  boat  and 
put  out  a  bit  from  the  shore  and  shot  the  deer  from 
the  side  where  she  could  not  see.  And  as  the  deer  lay 
dying  she  lamented  that  she  had  been  quite  safe  from  the 
side  where  she  looked  for  danger,  and  that  the  danger 
had  come  from  the  side  where  she  was  not  expecting  it. 

Our  Enemy  is  just  like  that.  He  is  much  too 
cunning  to  try  to  pierce  our  walls  at  the  point  where 
we  are  watching.  He  goes  round  till  he  finds  the 
place  where  we  think  we  are  quite  secure.  So  the  only 
safe  way  is  to  watch  at  all  sides  and  at  all  times. 

But  if,  in  spite  of  all  our  precautions,  the  Enemy 
does  get  a  footing  inside  our  fortress  we  must  have  our 
weapons  ready  to  drive  him  out  again.  So  in  the  third 
place  we  must  wear  our  armour  constantly.  And  the 
best  weapons  are  a  strong  determination  and  a  firm 
faith  in  God. 

Just  one  word  more.  Kemember  that  the  Jews  who 
raised  the  walls  went  on  building  all  the  time.  They 
prayed,  and  they  watched,  and  they  had  their  weapons 
ready,  but  above  all  they  huilt.  Their  enemies  would 
have  been  quite  content  if  they  had  stopped  the  work* 
and  our  Enemy  desires  above  all  things  that  we  should 
stop  our  work  of  character-building.  So  we  must  keep 
at  it,  however  hard  and  monotonous  it  seems  at  times, 
however  much  we  blunder,  however  weary  we  feel. 
And  remember  that  if  we  are  in  earnest,  God  will  put 
right  all  our  mistakes,  and  keep  our  temples  safe  for 
His  Holy  City,  the  New  Jerusalem  above. 


A  GOOD  DAY. 

A  day  of  gladness  and  feasting,  and  a  good  day,  and  of 
sending  portions  one  to  another,  .  .  .  and  gifts  to  the  poor.— 
Est.  ix.  19,  22. 

What  do  you  call  a  good  day?  I  wonder.  Do  you 
ever  say  to  yourself  as  you  snuggle  under  the  blankets 
at  night,  "Well  this  has  been  a  good  day  anyway." 
I  think  I  could  guess  what  has  made  your  day  a 
good  day.  More  than  likely  it  has  been  a  day  when 
delightful  things  have  happened  to  you.  Perhaps  you 
have  got  a  present  of  something  you  have  been  longing 
for;  perhaps  you  have  been  treated  to  a  circus  or  a 
menagerie;  perhaps  you  have  made  a  fine  score  at 
cricket ;  perhaps  you  have  won  a  prize  that  you  have 
worked  hard  to  get ;  perhaps — but  there's  no  need  to 
add  more,  there  are  hundreds  of  jolly  things  in  the 
world  that  may  have  made  it  a  good  day  for  you. 

Why  was  it  a  good  day  for  the  people  in  our  text  ? 
I  can  tell  you.  It  was  a  good  day  because  God  had 
delivered  them  out  of  terrible  danger,  and  made  them 
victorious  over  their  enemies.  If  things  had  gone  as 
they  had  been  planned  not  one  of  these  people  would 
have  been  alive  on  that  good  day.  They  would  all 
have  been  dead  on  the  day  before;  for  that  was  the 
danger  they  had  escaped — the  danger  of  losing  their  lives. 

281 


282  A  GOOD  DAY 

They  were  Jews — these  people — but  not  Jews  living 
in  their  own  land;  they  were  living  in  the  land  of 
Persia.  The  king  of  that  land  had  listened  to  evil 
tales  which  were  not  true,  and  had  been  persuaded  by 
a  man  called  Haman,  who  hated  the  Jews,  that  they 
were  a  wicked  troublesome  lot  and  that  the  sooner  the 
king  got  rid  of  them  all  the  better.  The  king,  un- 
fortunately, was  rather  a  foolish  man  who  gave  orders 
first  and  thought  afterwards,  so  he  immediately  ordered 
that  all  the  Jews  should  be  put  to  death  on  a  certain 
day.     It  was  a  large  order  ;  and  a  terrible  one  too. 

But  there  was  one  who  determined  that  if  she  could 
help  it  that  order  should  not  be  carried  out.  She  was 
a  Jewess,  and  her  name  was  Esther,  and  she  was  also 
the  king's  wife.  He  was  very  fond  of  her,  but  he  was 
such  a  great  king  that  even  she  dared  not  approach 
him  until  he  sent  for  her.  If  she  went  to  him  without 
being  sent  for  she  risked  her  life.  But  Esther  thought 
only  of  her  people  and  that  made  her  brave,  so  she 
went  to  the  king  and  she  showed  him  how  wicked  and 
false  Haman's  stories  had  been,  and  the  king  repented 
of  the  order  he  had  given,  and  was  so  angry  with 
Haman  that  he  condemned  him  to  death. 

But  the  difficulty  in  Persia  was  that  once  a  law  had 
been  made  it  could  never  be  unmade.  If  the  king  had 
once  said,  "  Kill  the  Jews,"  he  couldn't  say,  "  Do  not 
kill  the  Jews."  However  the  king  hit  upon  a  plan. 
He  issued  an  order  that  all  the  Jews  should  be  allowed 
to  defend  themselves  when  attacked ;  and  when  the 
dreaded  day  arrived  the  Jews  were  ready ;  and  instead 


J 


ESTHER  IX.   19,  22  283 

of  being  slain,  they  slew  their  enemies.  Then  the  day- 
after  they  rested  and  feasted  and  were  glad.  They 
made  that  day  a  good  day,  a  day  of  rejoicing,  and  of 
sending  presents  to  one  another,  and  of  giving  presents 
to  the  poor.  That  is  how  it  was  a  good  ^ay  for  the 
Jews. 

And  it  is  still  a  good  day  for  the  Jews  in  every  land, 
for  in  memory  of  that  great  deliverance  t'  e  Jews  keep 
what  they  call  the  feast  of  Purim.  It  is  a  sort  of 
Jewish  Christmas  day,  for  alas !  the  Jews  do  not  keep 
Christmas  day  as  we  do. 

Now  I  think  we  might  copy  these  old  Jews  in  their 
idea  of  a  good  day.  You  see  God  first  made  it  a  good 
day  for  them,  and  then  they  made  it  a  good  day  for 
others.  When  God  gives  us  a  good  day,  why  should 
we  not  pass  on  some  of  the  goodness  to  others  ?  Let 
us  give  away  seme  of  the  joy  that  comes  our  way. 
Let  us  share  our  happiness.  Instead  of  making  us  less 
happy  it  will  make  us  even  happier. 

Boys  and  girls,  it  is  like  this.  God  gives  us  every- 
thing, and  we  can't  show  our  gratitude  to  Him  in  the 
same  way  as  we  can  show  it  to  other  people.  We  can't 
give  God  something  in  return.  Of  course  we  can  give 
Him  our  love,  and  He  wants  that  most  of  all,  but  I  am 
speaking  rather  of  some  real  thing,  some  token,  and  we 
can't  give  that  to  God.  No,  but  we  can  give  it  to 
somebody  else  who  needs  it,  and  that  is  what  God 
wishes  us  to  do.  Giving  it  to  that  somebody,  we  are 
really  giving  it  to  Him.  There  are  plenty  of  "  some- 
bodies "  who  have  got  neither  happy  homes,  nor  jolly 


284  A  GOOD  DAY 

presents,  nor  nice  food,  nor  warm  clothing.  God  loves 
us  to  remember  these  "somebodies"  when  the  good 
day  comes  our  way. 

I  think  God  would  be  very  pleased  if  we  were  all 
like  the  little  girl  I  read  of  the  other  day.  She  and 
her  brothers  and  sisters  were  promised  a  monthly 
allowance  of  pocket-money.  She  was  a  very  tiny  tot, 
80  her  allowance  was  to  be  only  a  halfpenny  a  month. 
But  a  halfpenny  seemed  a  huge  sum  to  the  little  maid, 
and  she  was  so  overjoyed  that  she  got  it  changed  at 
once  for  two  farthings.  Then  she  ran  through  to  her 
father's  study  and  said,  "Daddy,  I'm  very  rich  now, 
and  I'm  going  to  allow  you  a  farthing  a  month ;  and 
here  is  your  December  farthing ! " 

If  God  gives  us  the  halfpennies,  let  us  try  to  give 
away  the  farthings.  If  He  gives  us  a  good  and  happy 
day,  let  us  try  to  make  it  a  good  and  happy  day  for 
others.  If  we  do  that  we  shall  find  that  it  is  not  only 
a  good  but,  what  is  better,  a  perfect  day. 


A  SPIDER'S  WEB. 

Whose  trust  is  a  spider's  web. — Job  viii.  14. 

You  have  all  seen  a  spider's  web,  and  some  of  you  may 
have  stopped  for  a  minute  to  admire  the  arrangement 
of  it.  You  noticed  the  long  strong  lines  which  run 
from  the  centre  to  the  circumference,  and  the  short 
lines  which  are  woven  across  them  at  equal  distances, 
making  a  perfect  pattern.  From  the  centre  of  the  web 
runs  a  trap  line  up  to  the  hiding-place  of  the  spider 
which  is  in  some  little  crevice  or  under  a  leaf.  The 
slightest  touch  of  the  web  sends  a  quiver  along  the 
threads  and  up  this  line,  and  the  spider  comes  rushing 
down  to  see  what  has  happened. 

The  web  is  made  so  as  to  take  the  smallest  amount 
of  time  and  silk.  It  is  so  fine  that  it  can  scarcely  be 
seen,  yet  strong  enough  to  stand  the  struggles  of  the 
insect  caught  in  it.  It  is  close  enough  to  catch  tiny 
flies,  yet  open  enough  to  let  the  wind  blow  through  it, 
and  so  it  avoids  the  strain  that  would  break  down 
anything  more  solid.  It  blows  with  the  breeze.  You 
have  sometimes  seen  in  damp  weather  the  bushes 
covered  with  gossamer  threads  which  seem  to  appear 
suddenly  from  nowhere.  These  are  woven  by  spiders 
too. 


286  A  SPIDER'S  WEB 

Some  kinds  of  spiders  when  they  are  young  and  light 
are  bold  airmen.  The  little  spider  spins  a  long  t'  read, 
lets  the  wind  catch  it,  and  immediately  rises  in  the  air 
to  a  great  height,  an "".  sails  away  in  his  balloon.  It  is 
not  a  dirigible,  however ;  he  can't  steer  it,  and  he  must 
just  go  with  the  wind.  In  this  way  spiders  travel  long 
distances,  and  even  cross  wide  arms  of  the  sea. 

There  have  been  fables  and  superstitions  about 
spiders.  You  will  still  hear  many  people  say  that  a 
spider  is  "  lucky  "  and  that  to  kill  it  is  "  unlucky,"  but 
good  housekeepers  do  not  pay  much  attention  to  tliat 
when  they  find  one  weaving  its  web  in  their  house. 

The  Greeks  had  a  story  about  the  spider.  They  said 
there  was  once  a  girl  called  Arachne.  She  lived  with 
her  father,  who  was  famous  for  the  purple  dye  which 
he  made.  Arachne  was  wonderfully  clever  at  spinning 
and  weaving.  Her  parents  were  proud  of  her,  and  her 
fame  spread  through  the  whole  of  Greece.  Great 
people  came  to  see  her  at  her  work,  and  paid  high 
prices  for  her  tapestry.  As  a  result,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
her  head  was  turned,  and  she  became  very  vain  and 
boasted  that  no  one  could  make  tapestry  like  her — not 
even  the  goddess  Athene. 

Now  the  goddess  Athene  was  the  patroness  of  all 
that  kind  of  work,  and  when  she  heard  this  she  was 
much  annoyed  and  came,  disguised  as  an  old  woman, 
to  Arachne's  house.  She  found  her  busy  at  her  work, 
and  heard  her  boast  that  not  even  Athene  could  do 
better.     The  disguised  goddess  warned  Arachne  not  to 


JOB  Vm.  14  287 

compare  herself  to  Athene,  but  the  girl  would  not 
listen.  She  merely  boasted  all  the  more  and  challenged 
Athene  to  come  and  try  a  contest  with  her.  Then 
Athene  took  her  own  form,  and  they  both  set  to  work. 
The  goddess  wove  pictures  showing  the  fate  of  those 
mortals  who  had  dared  to  oppose  themselves  to  gods,  and 
Arachne  wove  pictures  showing  the  foolish  things  the 
gods  had  done  (for  the  gods  of  Greece  were  just  like 
men — very  powerful  but  no  better). 

When  they  had  finished  their  work,  even  Athene  had 
to  admit  that  Arachne  had  won.  Her  work  was 
faultless.  Then  the  goddess  in  a  fit  of  anger  tore  it 
in  pieces,  and  struck  the  girl  on  the  head  with  the 
shuttle.  When  Arachne  saw  that  she  had  brought 
Athene's  anger  upon  her,  and  that  her  web  was 
destroyed,  she  tried  to  hang  herself,  but  Athene 
prevented  her,  and  said  henceforth  she  and  all  her  race 
should  hang  by  a  rope  and  spin  for  ever.  And  at  once 
Arachne  changed  into  a  spider,  and  there  she  and  her 
race  hang  by  threads  and  spin  and  spin  to  this  day. 
And  that,  said  the  old  Greeks,  was  the  punishment  for 
pride  and  presumption. 

Let  me  tell  you  another  spider  story.  In  the  early 
days  of  Christianity,  there  was  a  very  good  man  called 
Felix  of  Nola.  He  was  persecuted  for  his  religion, 
and  had  to  flee  for  his  life.  He  went  to  a  lonely 
uninhabited  place,  full  of  rocks.  There  were  caves 
in  the  rocks,  and  Nola  hid  himself  in  one  of  them. 
While  he  was  lying  there  he  saw  a  spider  weaving  its 


288  A  SPIDER'S  WEB 

web  across  the  opening  of  the  cave.  He  lay  and 
watched  it  spinning  thread  after  thread  and  fixing  each 
in  its  proper  place,  at  exactly  the  right  distance,  till 
the  mouth  of  the  cave  was  covered  with  them. 
Presently  he  heard  men's  voices,  and  he  gave  himself 
up  for  lost,  for  he  knew  they  were  seeking  him.  They 
came  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  there  they  stopped. 
When  they  saw  the  opening  covered  with  a  spider's 
web,  they  said  "  No  one  has  passed  in  here,  or  the  web 
would  be  broken,"  and  they  went  on  to  look  elsewhere. 
Nola  escaped,  and  when  he  spoke  of  it  afterwards  he 
used  to  say, "  Where  God  is,  a  spider's  web  is  as  a  wall ; 
where  He  is  not,  a  wall  is  but  as  a  spider's  web."  In  the 
text  at  the  head  of  this  sermon  the  trust  of  the  wicked 
is  said  to  be  like  a  spider's  web — they  have  nothing 
strong  to  depend  on ;  but  for  those  who  love  God  even 
a  spider's  web  can  be  a  protection.  Nothing  is  too 
humble  for  Him  to  use  for  His  purposes,  not  even  the 
tiny  spider. 

Now,  if  you  come  upon  one  spinning  in  a  dark  corner, 
or  in  a  rose-bush,  remember  these  two  things — not  to 
be  vain  and  boastful  about  the  gifts  you  possess,  and 
not  to  think  you  are  so  tiny  and  insignificant  that  God 
can  make  no  use  of  you.  Let  the  spider  teach  you 
these  two  things,  and  I  think  it  will  be  "  lucky  "  for  you 
that  you  have  met  him. 


A  LAUGHING-STOCK. 

A  laughingf-stock  to  his  neighbour. — Job  xii.  4. 

Hands  up  those  who  like  to  be  laughed  at !  Ah !  I 
thought  so  !  Not  a  hand  to  be  seen.  Hands  up  those 
who  like  to  laugh  at  others !  What !  Still  not  a 
hand  ?  Well  I'm  glad  of  that.  It  shows  that  even 
if  you  do  laugh  at  others  you  are  ashamed  of  it.  For 
the  last  time,  hands  up  those  who  can  laugh  at  them- 
selves !  I  hope  there  are  lots  of  hands  up  this  time, 
for  a  laugh  at  oneself  is  a  very  wholesome  laugh 
indeed,  and  does  one  heaps  of  good. 

1.  Now  there  is  no  harm  in  laughing  at  people  if 
you  mean  and  do  it  in  the  right  way.  No  one  is  the 
worse  of  a  little  good-humoured  teasing.  There  is 
usually  plenty  of  chaff  between  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  also  between  schoolmates ;  and  so  long  as  it  is 
good-humoured  chaff  it  is  both  amusing  and  useful. 
It  rubs  off  the  corners,  it  is  excellent  practice  in 
keeping  one's  temj)er,  and  it  is  death  to  humbug.  It 
helps  to  make  boys  manly,  and  it  prevents  girls  from 
putting  on  little  airs.  If  you  make  fun  in  the  right 
way  it  does  good. 

2.  But  the  moment  teasing  means  tears  it  is  time  to 
stop.  And  the  moment  teasing  means  badgering  or 
bullying  it  is  more  than  time  to  stop.     The  fun  is  all 


290  A  LAUGHING-STOCK 

gone,  and  only  cruelty  remains.  There  is  a  laugh  that 
does  good,  but  there  is  also  a  laugh  that  stings  like  a 
whip-lash.  It  makes  sport  of  weakness,  it  makes  fun 
of  deformity,  it  mocks  at  holy  things. 

Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  laughing  jackass  ?  It  is 
a  bird  that  travellers  in  the  Australian  bush  know 
welL  It  is  an  unimportant-looking  bird  of  the  king- 
fisher type,  with  a  long  beak;  but  the  remarkable 
thing  about  it  is  its  power  of  mimicking  a  human 
laugh.  It  can  do  it  better  than  any  parrot.  It  has 
an  aggravating  way,  too,  of  appearing  on  the  scene 
when  anything  goes  wrong.  Has  the  wagon  broken 
down?  Have  the  traces  snapped?  There,  perched 
on  the  branch  of  a  tree,  is  sure  to  be  found  a  jackass  con- 
vulsed with  laughter.  His  "  Ha !  Ha !  Ha ! "  and  his  "  He ! 
He !  He ! "  mock  and  taunt  the  unfortunate  traveller. 

The  jackass  laughs  because  he  is  an  ass  and  knows 
no  better,  but  boys  and  girls  or  grown-up  people  who 
mock  at  trouble  or  sorrow  or  infirmity  have  no  such 
excuse — unless  of  course  they  are  content  to  rank  with 
the  jackass  as  asses. 

Making  a  mock  of  others  is  the  lowest  form  of 
amusement.  It  is  not  playing  the  game;  for  the 
person  of  whom  a  laughing-stock  is  made  as  a  rule 
cannot  help  his  peculiarity.  Why  jeer  at  a  cripple  ? 
It  is  God's  kindness  that  has  made  your  limbs  straight 
and  supple.  Why  imitate  a  boy  with  a  stammer? 
Thank  God,  rather,  that  He  has  enabled  you  to  speak 
distinctly.  Why  scoff  at  a  girl  whose  dress  is  shabby 
or  whose  accent  is  not  so  fine  as  yours  ?     It  is  not  her 


JOB  XII.  4  291 

fault.  She  is  none  the  less  a  girl  because  of  that,  and 
the  chances  are  that  she  is  twice  as  much  a  woman 
as  the  girl  who  sneers  at  her.  Shame  on  you  for 
these  things  !     Such  mockery  is  beneath  contempt. 

It  is  told  of  a  famous  old  clergyman  of  a  northern 
town  that,  as  he  walked  down  the  street,  he  saw  a 
crowd  gathered  round  something.  He  went  up  to  the 
crowd  and  found  that  the  something  was  one  of  his 
own  church  members  helplessly  drunk.  The  crowd 
was  jeering  and  laughing  at  him,  and  one  man  in 
especial  was  loud  in  his  sneers  at  such  conduct  on  the 
part  of  a  church  member.  The  clergyman  walked  up 
to  this  man  and  with  flashing  eye  said,  "  Sir,  many 
walk  of  whom  I  have  told  you  often,  and  now  tell  you 
— not  laughingy  Sir,  not  laughing  but  weeping^  weeping 
— that  they  are  the  enemies  of  the  Cross  of  Christ." 
The  old  clergyman  was  right.  Tears,  not  laughter, 
should  have  greeted  such  a  sight. 

Boys  and  girls,  the  next  time  you  are  tempted  to 
make  a  mock  of  anyone  stop  and  think,  "  There,  but 
for  the  grace  of  God,  goes  myself."  That  thought 
should  take  away  all  desire  to  hurt  with  ridicule 
another  human  being,  especially  if  you  try  to  imagine 
what  it  would  be  like  to  be  in  that  other's  place.  How 
would  you  care  to  be  made  fun  of  ?  Would  you  enjoy 
it?  Your  heart  tells  you  that  you  would  hate  it. 
Listen  to  your  heart,  then.  It  will  not  lead  you  wrong ; 
for  in  its  voice  you  have  heard  the  voice  of  Christ 
pleading  with  you  to  be  merciful  and  to  spare  one  who 
16  also  one  of  God's  children. 


A  DRIVEN  LEAF. 

A  leaf  driven  to  and  fro. — Job  xiii.  25  (AV). 

If  you  take  a  country  walk  just  now,  or  go  down  any 
road  where  there  are  trees,  you  will  find  my  text.  It 
may  wear  a  crimson  dress,  or  a  brown  one,  or  a  gold,  but 
it  will  be  there  sure  enough  along  with  many  others 
of  its  kind. 

Have  you  guessed  the  text,  I  wonder.  It  is  "a 
leaf  driven  to  and  fro."  You  will  find  it  in  the 
Book  of  Job,  but  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  the 
chapter  or  the  verse  because  I  want  you  to  look 
for  it. 

I  was  watching  some  of  those  leaves  the  other  day 
and  they  gave  me  a  message  to  take  to  you.  Would 
you  like  to  know  what  they  said  ? 

1.  Well,  first  they  said,  "Tell  the  boys  and  girls 
to  he  glad" 

They  were  such  jolly  little  fellows  and  they  seemed 
to  have  so  very  little  to  make  them  happy.  I  wondered 
if  they  never  felt  dull.  But  they  answered,  "  Not  in 
the  least  1  We've  had  a  gay  old  time  all  summer  up 
in  the  sunshine  and  the  breeze,  and  this  is  rather  a  bit 
of  a  come-down,  but  what's  the  use  of  fretting? 
There's  a  nice  gust  blowing,  so  we're  off  for  a  scamper." 

S92 


JOB  XIII.  25  293 

And  away  they  went  rollicking  and  frolicking,  dancing 
and  prancing  down  the  path. 

And  so  the  leaves  driven  to  and  fro  say  to  you, 
"  Be  glad.'*  If  you  cut  your  finger,  or  break  your  toy, 
cheer  up !  The  world  isn't  coming  to  an  end  because 
of  that.  Keep  a  bright  face  when  things  go  a  bit 
wrong.  That's  the  plucky  thing  to  do.  It  isn't  always 
the  people  with  the  fewest  troubles  who  smile  the 
most. 

2.  But  next  the  leaves  driven  to  and  fro  said  to  me, 
**  Tell  the  boys  and  girls  to  have  a  purpose.  Just  look 
at  us.  We  are  at  the  mercy  of  every  wind  that  blows. 
Sometimes  we  are  scuttled  away  in  one  direction,  then 
we  are  whisked  away  in  another,  and  next  minute  we 
are  whirled  round  and  round  in  a  circle.  We  have  no 
stability  of  our  own,  and  so  we  are  influenced  by  the 
first  breeze  that  comes  along." 

And  they  added,  "  We  are  just  a  picture  of  the  people 
who  have  no  purpose  in  life,  the  people  who  are  easily 
led  astray.  They  are  very  lovable  often,  but  they 
have  no  high  aim  of  their  own,  and  so  they  just  do 
exactly  what  those  around  them  are  doing.  They  are 
influenced  by  whatever  wind  is  blowing.  If  it  is  a 
good  wind  they  are  good,  but  if  it  is  a  bad  wind  they 
are  bad.     So  tell  the  boys  and  girls  to  have  a  purpose." 

3.  And  lastly  they  said,  "  Tell  the  boys  and  girls  that 
God  has  a  purpose  for  them.  God  has  a  purpose  for  us 
if  we  will  lie  still  and  rest.  He  will  make  us  into  a 
warm  blanket  to  cover  the  seeds  and  the  plants  from 
the  winter  cold.     He  will  send  the  rain  and  the  snow 


294  A  DRIVEN  LEAF 

and  the  worms  to  work  on  us  and  to  turn  us  into 
food  for  the  plants;  and  we  shall  be  built  up  into 
some  beautiful  flower,  or  some  fresh  green  leaf  next 
summer. 

"And  God  has  work  for  the  boys  and  girls  too  if 
they  will  lie  still  and  rest.  If  they  will  come  to  rest 
in  Jesus,  if  they  will  make  up  their  minds  to  be  His 
disciples  and  let  Him  do  with  them  as  He  will,  then 
He  has  a  glorious  work  for  them  to  do.  He  can  use 
even  them  to  make  the  world  a  better  and  a  happier 
place,  to  make  His  kingdom  of  love  come  on  earth." 


A  PRISONER  IN  THE  STOCKS. 

Thou  puttest  my  feet  also  in  the  stocks. — Job  ziii.  27. 

If  you  had  lived  a  hundred  years  ago  you  would  have 
been  better  able  to  appreciate  this  text.  The  punish- 
ment of  the  stocks  has  quite  gone  out  of  fashion,  but 
if  you  had  lived  then  you  might  often  have  seen  a  man 
sitting  on  a  bench  on  the  village  green  with  his  ankles 
and  perhaps  his  wrists  thrust  through  a  wooden  board 
in  front  of  him.  And  possibly  a  crowd  of  little  village 
boys  would  be  standing  round  jeering  at  him. 

If  you  had  asked  anybody  why  that  man  was  sitting 
there,  they  would  have  told  you  that  he  had  been 
found  guilty  of  some  small  offence — such  as  trespassing 
or  disturbing  the  peace — and  that  he  had  been  put  in 
the  stocks  for  a  few  hours  as  a  punishment.  Away 
in  the  New  England  States  they  even  put  people  in 
the  stocks  for  Sabbath-breaking.  I  fancy  they  would 
require  a  large  supply  of  stocks  nowadays  if  that 
law  still  held  good ! 

Now  I  don't  think  tfie  stocks  could  have  been  at 
all  a  comfortable  form  of  punishment.  I  think  you 
and  I  would  have  much  preferred  being  put  into 
prison  for  a  day  and  being  kept  on  bread  and  water. 
There  you  were  set,  with  the  boards  firmly  fixed  down 

S96 


296         A  PRISONER  IN  THE  STOCKS 

on  your  ankles  and  wrists,  and  there  you  were  obliged 
to  sit  for  hours  with  your  arms  and  legs  held  in  one 
position  until  it  pleased  the  powers  that  were  to  let 
you  out.  You  must  have  felt  very  stiff  and  sore  before 
you  were  released. 

In  our  text  Job  says  that  God  has  put  his  feet  in 
the  stocks.  What  does  he  mean  by  that  ?  Well,  I 
think  he  just  means  that  God  has  hedged  him  in  on 
every  side,  that  God  has  fixed  him  down  in  a  certain 
position  and  that  he  can't  move  out  of  it.  He  can't 
alter  his  life,  he  can't  alter  his  circumstances.  He 
must  just  submit  to  God's  way  for  him. 

Now  don't  you  think  we  are  often  placed  very  much 
as  Job  was  ?     Our  feet  are  put  in  the  stocks. 

At  home  we  are  often  prevented  from  doing  the 
things  we  want  to  do,  and  we  don't  at  all  like  it.  We 
want  to  go  out  on  a  certain  day,  and  we  have  a  bit  of 
a  cold  and  the  rain  is  pouring  in  torrents,  and  mother 
says,  "  No,  you  must  stay  at  home,"  and  we  feel  very 
cross.  Or  we  are  reading  a  book  that  we  know  we 
ought  not  to  be  reading,  and  father  comes  and  takes 
it  from  us,  and  we  are  very  angry.  Or  mother  forbids 
us  to  make  friends  with  certain  boys  and  girls,  and 
we  feel  very  annoyed.  Father  and  mother  put  our 
feet  in  the  stocks. 

At  school  it  is  just  the  same.  We  have  to  conform 
to  certain  rules,  we  have  to  prepare  our  lessons — 
unless  we  wish  to  be  left  hopelessly  behind — and 
sometimes  it  is  all  very  irritating.  The  schoolmaster 
puts  our  feet  in  the  stocks. 


JOB  XIII.  27  297 

And  often  the  same  thing  holds  good  in  life.  We 
want  to  go  out  into  the  big  world  and  fight  our  way, 
we  want  to  do  grand  things  and  exciting  things,  and 
we  are  compelled  to  stay  at  home.  We  have  brains ; 
we  want  to  go  to  the  university  or  enter  a  profession, 
and  we  have  to  help  father  in  his  workshop  to  make 
money  to  buy  bread  and  butter  for  the  younger  ones. 
We  are  clever,  or  artistic,  or  musical,  and  mother 
needs  us  at  home  to  sweep  and  dust  and  wash  the 
dishes.  Or  perhaps  we  are  just  fixed  where  we  are 
by  poverty,  or  ill-health,  or  a  sick  relative.  God  is 
putting  our  feet  in  the  stocks.  It  is  very  hard  to  bear, 
and  we  are  inclined  to  rebel. 

'Now  if  your  feet  are  in  the  stocks  (and  I  think 
everybody's  are  in  one  way  or  another),  will  you  try 
to  remember  this  ?  When  we  are  restricted  like  that 
it  is  always  for  one  of  two  reasons,  and  both  of  them 
are  good. 

1.  Sometimes  our  feet  are  put  in  the  stocks  to  keep 
us  out  of  danger. 

When  the  present  King  of  Spain  was  six  years  old 
he  had  a  birthday,  just  like  every  little  boy  or  girl; 
but  as  he  was  an  only  child  and  a  very  important 
person  besides,  he  received  a  great  many  presents. 
Among  the  presents  were  dozens  and  dozens  of  boxes 
of  beautiful  sweets.  Everybody  seemed  to  be  trying 
to  outvie  everybody  else  in  the  grandeur  of  those 
confections. 

When   the  king  saw  them  he  wanted  them  all  at 


298        A  PRISONER  IN  THE  STOCKS 

once.  His  mother  said,  "  No,"  but  she  gave  in  to  him 
so  far.  He  was  allowed  to  have  one  sweet  out  of 
each  box.  The  rest  were  put  past  to  be  given  away. 
The  king  began  his  feast,  but  before  he  had  got  half 
round  the  boxes  he  turned  very  sick  and  ill.  For 
days  he  lay  between  life  and  death,  rand  it  was  only 
the  good  nursing  he  received  that  brought  him  round 
again. 

The  colouring  matter  that  made  some  of  the  sweets 
look  so  gay  and  pretty  was  slightly  poisonous.  If  the 
Queen  Mother  had  been  wiser  and  had  restricted  her 
son  to  half  a  dozen  sweets,  all  might  have  been  well, 
but  in  the  mistaken  kindness  of  her  heart  she  had 
allowed  him  a  large  number,  and  the  result  was  nearly 
fatal. 

Now  when  father  and  mother  forbid  you  to  do 
things  you  want  to  do,  when  they  take  away  dangerous 
books  from  you,  or  keep  you  from  bad  companions, 
they  are  really  removing  poisoned  sweets  out  of  your 
reach.  Some  day  you  will  realize  what  they  have 
done  for  you  and  will  thank  them,  although  just  at 
present  you  may  find  their  restraint  very  hard  to 
bear. 

And  God  is  just  like  father  and  mother.  When  He 
puts  our  feet  in  the  stocks  it  is  always  for  our  good. 
He  often  puts  them  there  to  keep  us  back  from  the 
things  that  would  hurt  us.  We  may  not  be  able  to 
see  it  now,  but  some  day  we  shall  know  and  imder- 
stand,  and  we  shall  thank  Him  for  His  wisdom  and 
loving-kindness. 


JOB  XIII.  27  299 

A  famous  minister  tells  the  story  of  a  little  boy  who 
wanted  to  go  out  one  afternoon.  The  rain  was  falling 
fast  and  his  governess  suggested  that  they  should  pray 
for  the  rain  to  stop,  but  the  little  fellow  asked,  "  Do 
you  suppose  God  wants  it  to  rain  ? "  "  Yes,"  replied 
his  governess.  "  Then,"  said  the  small  boy,  "  I  think 
it  would  be  safer  to  let  Him  have  His  own  way." 

Yes,  it  is  always  safer  to  let  God  have  His  own  way. 
He  is  far  wiser  than  we  are,  and  far  more  loving,  and 
He  will  never  send  us  anything  that  is  not  for  our 
good. 

2.  Sometimes  our  feet  are  put  in  the  stocks  to  make 
tcs  stronger  and  better  and  more  useful. 

A  South  African  minister  tells  us  about  a  wonderful 
vine  he  saw  growing  out  there.  Never  had  he  seen 
such  a  luxuriant  vine.  It  spread  far  and  wide  and 
climbed  over  everything  within  its  reach,  hut — it  had 
no  fruit.  Do  you  know  the  reason  ?  It  had  not  been 
pruned.  It  had  been  allowed  to  grow  just  as  it  liked, 
and  it  had  grown  all  to  leaves  and  tendrils. 

And  when  father  and  mother  restrain  us  and 
restrict  us,  when  God  puts  our  feet  in  the  stocks,  it  is 
often  to  make  us  better,  and  purer,  and  stronger. 

Don't  rebel  then,  boys  and  girls,  when  things  don't 
go  just  as  you  want  them.  Take  it  sensibly,  take  it 
sweetly,  and  you  will  become  strong,  and  brave,  and 
pure. 


A  MOTH-EATEN  GARMENT. 

A  garment  that  is  moth-eaten. —Job  xiii.  28. 

I  WANT  you  to  take  a  good  look  at  what  I  have  brought 
you  to-day.  It  is  a  cashmere  shawl  belonging  to  an 
old  lady  who  is  a  friend  of  mine,  and  she  very  kindly 
lent  it  to  me  as  a  text  for  you. 

If  you  looked  at  the  shawl  from  a  distance  you 
might  imagine  it  was  very  beautiful,  but  if  you  came 
a  little  closer  you  would  see  that  it  is  all  riddled 
with  small  holes,  just  as  if  a  great  many  bullets  had 
gone  through  it.  I  hope  some  of  you  can  see  the  holes 
from  where  you  are  sitting. 

Now  I  wonder  who  made  these  holes  in  the  shawl  ? 
Well,  my  friend  forgot  to  put  any  camphor  in  the 
drawer  where  she  laid  away  her  best  shawl,  and  by 
and  by  along  came  Mrs.  Moth  looking  for  a  nice,  soft, 
warm  place  to  lay  her  eggs.  When  she  found  the 
shawl  she  exclaimed,  "  Why,  here's  the  very  thing ! " 
and  she  lost  no  time  in  setting  to  work. 

Shortly  after,  out  of  each  egg  popped  a  little  grub, 
and  as  he  came  out  to  the  world  he  said  to  himself, 
"  I'm  really  most  awfully  hungry.  I  must  have  some- 
thing to  eat."  So  he  at  once  proceeded  to  eat  the  thing 
nearest  to  him,  which  happened  to  be  his   particular 

300 


JOB  XIII.  28  301 

corner  of  the  shawl.     And  that  is  how  the  holes  came 
in  the  cashmere. 

Now  I  think  that  our  characters  are  a  little  like  this 
moth-eaten  shawl.  They  were  meant  to  be  beautiful 
and  useful,  but  some  destructive  moths  have  eaten  into 
them  and  spoiled  them.  I  wonder  what  the  names  of 
these  moths  are  ?  I  think  they  are  bad  habits,  and 
unkind  feelings,  and  wicked  thoughts. 

1.  There  are  two  ways  in  which  these  moths  spoil 
our  character — first  they  spoil  its  beauty,  and  second 
they  spoil  its  usefulness. 

(1)  They  spoil  its  beauty.  If  you  came  a  little 
nearer  you  would  see  how  the  moths  have  spoiled  the 
beauty  of  this  shawl.  It  is  made  of  a  lovely,  soft,  fine 
wool  and  must  have  been  very  nice  to  look  at  once 
upon  a  time,  but  now  nobody  would  wish  to  wear  it  as 
an  ornament.  It  is  altogether  spoiled.  And  it  is  just 
like  that  with  bad  habits.  They  make  ugly  holes  in 
our  character.  You  often  meet  people  who  would  have 
been  very  noble  and  grand  and  beautiful  if  they  had 
not  allowed  a  wicked  temper,  or  an  unkind  feeling,  or 
a  bad  habit  to  get  the  better  of  them. 

(2)  And  besides  spoiling  the  beauty  of  our  character, 
these  wicked  little  moths  spoil  its  usefulness.  A 
garment  that  is  badly  moth-eaten  is  of  no  use.  It  is 
quite  rotten  and  tears  when  we  pull  it. 

Now  I  think  we  should  all  like  to  be  of  use  to  some- 
body in  the  world,  but  if  we  let  those  wicked  little 
moths  eat  into  our  nature  I'm  afraid  we  won't  be  able 


302  A  MOTH-EATEN  GARMENT 

to  do  much  good.     They  will  weaken  our  character 
until  nobody  will  be  able  to  rely  on  us. 

2.  Shall  I  give  you  two  recipes  to  help  to  keep  away 
the  moths  ? 

(1)  First,  he  busy.  You  know  it  is  when  clothes  are 
laid  away  idle  that  the  moths  come  to  them.  I  read 
a  poem  the  other  day  about  a  lady  who  owned  a  very 
beautiful  garment.  It  was  so  beautiful  that  she 
thought  it  was  too  fine  to  wear,  so  she  laid  it  away 
carefully  in  a  drawer.  Guests  came  to  the  house  but 
she  received  them  in  sober  raiment.  The  poor  and  the 
orphaned  came  and  she  gave  them  pity,  but  she  never 
cheered  them  with  a  sight  of  the  beautiful  garment. 
It  lay  wrapped  up  in  a  napkin  in  the  dark  drawer,  its 
beauty  all  hidden.  And  then  a  feast-day  came  and 
she  took  out  the  garment  meaning  to  wear  it.  But 
when  she  shook  out  its  wonderful  folds  she  found  that 
the  moths  had  been  busy  with  it,  and  that  its  beauty  and 
its  usefulness  were  gone  for  ever.  And  the  writer  of 
the  poem  ends  with  these  two  lines — 

Into  the  folded  robe  alone 
The  moth  with  its  blighting  steals. 

One  of  the  best  ways  of  keeping  good  is  to  do  good. 
If  you  are  busy  helping  and  serving  others  and  making 
use  of  the  talents  God  has  given  you,  why  then,  you 
have  very  little  time  to  harbour  wicked  thoughts  or 
grow  bad  habits.  The  boys  and  girls  that  Satan  loves 
to  get  hold  of  are  those  who  have  no  aim  in  life  and 


JOB  XIII.   28  303 

Uyo  much  time  on  their  hands.     He  usually  finds  them 
an  easy  prey.     So  the  first  recipe  is — "  Be  busy." 

(2)  And  the  second  is — "  Use  plenty  of  camphor."  If 
you  keep  plenty  of  camphor  among  your  garments  the 
moths  will  be  afraid  to  come  near  them.  And  what 
camphor  shall  we  use  to  keep  the  moths  of  bad  habits 
away  from  our  characters  ?  The  camphor  of  prayer. 
God  will  never  refuse  to  help  us  if  we  ask  Him,  and 
when  we  have  this  remedy  at  hand  we  should  all  use  it. 

3.  But  I'm  afraid  that  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts 
there  will  still  be  a  few  moth-holes  in  the  garments  of 
our  characters,  for  all  of  us  began  to  let  the  moths  have 
their  way  before  we  could  even  walk  or  talk.  What 
are  we  to  do  then  ?  Are  we  to  go  through  life  with 
our  beauty  and  our  usefulness  always  a  bit  spoilt  ? 
Sometimes  when  you  have  made  a  big  tear  in  your 
coat  or  your  frock,  mother  darns  the  rent  so  carefully 
that  you  can  scarcely  see  it,  but  even  mother  isn't 
clever  enough  to  get  rid  of  the  holes  in  the  moth-eaten 
garment. 

But  Jesus  can  mend  the  holes  in  the  moth-eaten 
garments  of  our  characters.  He,  and  He  alone,  can  do 
it  because  He  alone  has  lived  the  perfect  life,  and  He 
has  suffered  and  died  to  make  us  good.  He  can  take 
away  all  the  ugliness  out  of  our  lives  and  put  our 
mistakes  right,  and  He  can  present  us  at  last  faultless 
before  His  Father's  throne  with  exceeding  joy. 


REMOVING  ROCKS. 

Shall  the  rock  be  removed  out  of  its  place  ? — Job  xviii.  4. 

At  first  sight  the  answer  to  this  question  seems  to  be 
"  No."  A  rock  is  such  a  great  strong  thing ;  how  can 
we  move  it  out  of  its  place  ? 

Those  of  you  who  have  built  castles  on  the  seashore 
know  that  sometimes  your  spade  strikes  on  something 
that  looks  like  a  big  stone.  Perhaps  it  is  just  a  big 
stone.  You  dig  round  about  it  till  you  have  loosened 
it,  and  then,  with  a  strong  heave,  out  it  comes.  But 
sometimes  the  farther  you  dig  the  bigger  the  stone 
grows,  and  at  last  you  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
isn't  a  stone  at  all  but  a  rock  firmly  rooted  in  the 
ground.  So  you  give  up  trying  to  move  it  out  of  its 
place.  You  alter  the  shape  of  your  castle  to  suit 
the  rock,  or  you  build  it  in  another  place.  And  if 
anyone  asked  you  then,  "  Shall  the  rock  be  removed 
out  of  its  place  ? "  you  would  answer,  "  No,  we  have  to 
move  out  of  our  place  to  suit  the  rock." 

But  there  is  another  answer  to  that  question, 
'*  Shall  the  rock  be  removed  out  of  its  place  ? "  "  Yes." 
"How?" 

Well  sometimes  a  big  earthquake  moves  rocks  out 
of  their  place  and  flings  them  about  as  if  they  were 

304 


JOB  XVIII.  4  305 

pebbles,  but  that  is  not  a  very  usual  way.  And  some- 
times men  blast  away  huge  boulders  with  gunpowder, 
but  that  is  an  artificial  way.  There  is  yet  another 
way  in  which  rocks  are  removed  out  of  their  place — a 
very  quiet  and  gentle  way,  but  the  most  common  way 
of  all.     It  is  the  way  of  Jack  Frost  and  Mother  Eain. 

The  rain  falls  on  the  rocks,  and  it  carries  with  it 
certain  acids  that  eat  into  them  and  very,  very  slowly 
destroy  them.  Then  Jack  Frost  comes  along  and 
finds  the  moisture  in  the  crevices.  Now  he  is  rather 
an  important  fellow  and  requires  a  lot  of  room  for 
himself,  so  when  he  freezes  up  the  moisture  he  pushes 
and  pushes  to  get  elbow-room.  This  goes  on  year 
after  year  while  the  cracks  in  the  rock  grow  wider  and 
longer.  At  last  a  big  boulder  can  hold  on  no  longer. 
One  day,  after  a  severe  frost,  the  thaw  comes.  There 
is  a  roar  and  a  crash  and  the  big  boulder  lies  in  pieces 
at  the  bottom  of  the  cliff.  The  rock  has  been  removed 
out  of  its  place. 

Now  sometimes  God  puts  rocks  in  our  way  through 
life  to  try  what  kind  of  men  and  women,  what  kind 
of  boys  and  girls  we  are.  These  rocks  are  difficulties 
and  hardships,  and  the  way  in  which  we  meet  them 
determines  the  kind  of  people  we  are. 

Some  people  sit  down  in  front  of  their  rocks  and 
never  try  to  get  past  them  at  all.  They  moan  that 
the  rocks  are  far  too  strong  for  them  and  that  they 
couldn't  ever  possibly  move  them  out  of  their  place, 
so  what  would  be  the  use  of  trying.  These  are  the 
cowardly  people. 


306  REMOVING  ROCKS 

And  some  people  walk  right  round  their  rocks  so 
as  to  avoid  them  altogether.  They  leave  others  to 
struggle  with  them  while  they  choose  an  easier  way. 
And  so  they  never  grow  any  wiser  or  stronger,  for  the 
rocks  were  put  there  to  make  noble  men  and  women 
of  them.     These  are  the  lazy  and  selfish  people. 

But  there  are  others  who,  like  the  frost  and  the  rain, 
keep  pegging  away  at  their  rocks.  Bit  by  bit  they  get 
the  better  of  them  until  they  have  entirely  disappeared. 
Yet  the  strength  and  the  firmness  of  them  have  entered 
into  the  character  of  those  who  have  conquered  them. 
These  are  the  brave  and  patient  people. 

Now  you  have  all  got  rocks  in  your  way,  great  or 
small.  I  don't  know  what  they  are,  but  you  know. 
Perhaps  your  special  rock  is  a  difficult  lesson,  perhaps 
it  is  a  bad  temper,  perhaps  it  is  a  bit  of  hard  work. 
That  does  not  make  much  difference.  The  big  question 
is,  "Shall  the  rock  be  removed  out  of  its  place?" 
**Yes  or  no?"  And  the  way  in  which  you  answer 
that  question  will  show  what  kind  of  boy  or  girl  you 
are  going  to  ba 


THE   TOPAZ. 

The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  shall  not  equal  it. — Job  zxviii.  19. 

November  is  often  a  dull  gloomy  month,  but  it  brings 
us  a  cheerful  sunny  stone — the  topaz.  The  topaz  got  its 
name  in  a  curious  way.  "  Topaz  "  comes  from  a  Greek 
word  meaning  "to  seek."  The  stone  was  first  found 
in  a  certain  island  in  the  Eed  Sea  which  was  often 
surrounded  by  fog.  And  because  the  sailors  had  to 
seek  long  for  the  island  ere  they  found  it,  they  called 
the  gem  "  topaz." 

How  many  of  you  know  a  topaz  ?  Well,  as  there  are 
three  different  stones  called  "  topaz  "  you  will  be  excused 
if  you  don't  recognize  one  when  you  meet  it.  The  true 
topaz  is  a  stone  which  comes  to  us  chiefly  from  Brazil, 
and  it  is  usually  golden  or  yellow  or  honey-coloured. 
But  it  is  found  also  without  any  colour  at  all,  clear  and 
limpid,  and  then  it  is  so  like  the  diamond  that  it  is 
very  difficult  for  ordinary  people  to  tell  the  difference. 
These  colourless  topazes  have  been  nicknamed  "  slave's 
diamonds,"  but  there  is  a  prettier  name  than  that  for 
them.  Brazilians  call  them  ^'pingas  d'agoa*'  and  the 
French  "gouttes  d'eau"  both  names  meaning  "drops  of 
water." 

The  second  stone  known  as  "  topaz  **  is  our  old  friend 

807 


308  THE  TOPAZ 

the  corundum,  only  it  is  yellow  corundum,  not  red 
corundum  like  the  ruby,  or  blue  corundum  like  the 
sapphire.  This  yellow  corundum  is  called  the  Oriental 
topaz. 

The  third  stone  known  as  "  topaz "  is  one  we  are 
all  very  familiar  with,  for  it  is  nothing  more  or  less 
than  the  stone  which  is  set  in  kilt  brooches  and  other 
Highland  jewellery — the  cairngorm  or  Scotch  topaz.  I 
expect  a  good  many  of  the  girls  here  will  have  a  piece 
of  jewellery  set  with  a  Scotch  topaz,  and  if  any  of  the 
boys  have  a  plaid  to  their  kilt  they  will  be  very  proud 
of  the  cairngorm  which  fastens  it  on  the  shoulder. 

Now,  to  return  to  the  first  or  real  topaz.  There  are 
several  remarkable  things  about  it.  To  begin  with,  it 
is  three  and  a  half  times  heavier  than  water.  Then  if 
you  heat  it,  or  rub  it,  it  becomes  electric  like  amber. 
If  you  heat  it  slowly  to  a  red  heat  (having  first  packed 
it  in  lime  magnesia  or  asbestos)  and  cool  it  equally 
slowly,  you  will  find  that  your  yellow  topaz  has  turned 
pink.  That  is  how  pink  topazes  are  made,  for  the 
natural  stone  is  never  that  shade.  Then  though  the 
topaz  is  a  hard  stone,  which  cuts  and  polishes  beauti- 
fully, strange  to  say  it  is  very  brittle,  and  if  you  let  it 
fall  you  may  pick  it  up  in  two. 

The  topaz  was  supposed  in  olden  times  to  bring  its 
wearer  beauty,  wisdom,  and  long  life.  It  was  also 
believed  to  quench  thirst.  Perhaps  that  was  because 
the  colourless  topazes  are  so  like  drops  of  pure  water. 

There  is  a  story  of  a  thirst-quenching  Indian  topaz 
who99  owner  was  a  Hindu  magician  or  necromancer. 


JOB  XXVIII.   19  309 

One  of  the  Indian  Eajahs  or  princes,  who  was  fighting 
a  neighbouring  prince,  asked  the  magician  to  help  him 
to  win  a  battle.  The  battle  took  place,  but  alas !  the 
magician's  help  was  vain,  for  the  Eajah  was  beaten  and 
the  necromancer  himself  wounded  to  death.  As  he  lay 
dying  on  the  battlefield  he  heard  near  him  the  groans 
of  a  poor  wounded  soldier  who  was  crying  out  for  a 
drop  of  water  to  quench  his  burning  thirst.  With  a 
last  ejSbrt  of  strength  the  necromancer  threw  his 
precious  jewel  to  the  soldier,  telling  him  to  lay  it  on 
his  heart.  No  sooner  had  the  man  done  so  than  his 
thirst  vanished  and  his  wound  healed. 

Well,  that  is  only  a  tale.  But  I  have  told  it  you 
because  I  think  its  message  and  that  of  the  topaz  are 
one — "Be  sympathetic."  What  is  sympathy?  The 
dictionary  tells  us  that  it  is  "feeling  with"  others. 
There  used  to  be  an  old  conundrum — I  expect  it  is 
still  alive — "  Why  is  sympathy  like  blind  man's  buff?" 
"Because  it's  a  fellow  feeling  for  a  fellow  creature." 
Now  I  want  to  ask  you,  "Why  is  sympathy  like  a 
topaz  ? "     And  I  shall  give  you  three  reasons. 

1.  It  is  cheering. —  ihe  topaz  is  a  cheerful  stone. 
Did  you  ever  notice  that  yellow  is  a  cheerful  colour  ? 
It  is.  It  "  makes  a  sunshine  in  a  shady  place."  If  you 
have  a  yellow  paper  on  a  dull  north  room,  that  room 
will  look  as  if  the  sun  were  streaming  into  it.  So 
sympathy  warms  and  cheers. 

2.  It  is  electric. — It  is  something  that  goes  out  from 
you  to  someone  else,  or  comes  from  someone  else  to  you. 
You  can't  catch  hold  of  it  and  say,  "  This  is  sympathy," 


310  THE  TOPAZ 

but  it  is  like  a  wave  of  electricity,  you  feel  it.  It 
makes  you  tingle  with  pleasure.  It  attracts  you  like 
a  magnet. 

3.  It  is  fragile. — It  is  a  delicate  sort  of  thing.  You 
can't  bounce  in  on  somebody  and  blurt  out,  "  Now  I'm 
going  to  be  sympathetic.  I'm  going  to  say  so-and-so 
and  I'm  going  to  do  so-and-so."  You  must  go  about  it 
in  a  more  delicate  way  than  that.  Often  sympathy 
can't  be  put  into  words.     A  look  or  a  touch  is  enough. 

A  famous  preacher  tells  that  when  he  was  a  boy 
there  lived  in  the  next  house  a  man  who  was  a  hope- 
less drunkard.  The  boy's  father  was  very  anxious  that 
the  man  should  be  cured  and  he  tried  all  in  his  power 
to  help  him.  But  the  poor  man  found  it  impossible  to 
resist  turning  into  a  public-house  when  he  passed  its 
open  doors,  and  saw  its  flaring  lights,  and  smelt  its  smell 
of  whisky.  At  last,  after  trying  and  failing  again  and 
again,  he  said  to  the  boy's  father,  "  I  think  if  I  could 
hold  someone's  hand  I  might  manage  it."  The  little 
chap  heard  this  and  was  keen  to  help,  so  he  offered 
himself  for  the  job.  Day  after  day  he  went  and  slipped 
his  hand  into  that  of  the  man  and  guided  him  safely 
past  the  danger  spots.  He  didn't  say  anything.  All 
he  did  was  just  to  give  a  friendly  grip ;  but  it  was  the 
finest  kind  of  sympathy,  and  it  worked  the  man's  cure. 

Now  a  word  of  warning !  Don't  keep  your  sympathy 
for  people  who  are  sad  or  in  trouble.  Spare  some  of  it 
for  those  who  are  specially  happy  or  joyful.  The  Bible 
says,  "  Kejoice  with  them  that  rejoice ;  weep  with  them 


JOB  XXVIII.  19  311 

that  weep."  And  you  will  notice  that  it  puts  the 
"  rejoicing  with  them  that  rejoice  "  before  the  "  weeping 
with  them  that  weep."  Perhaps  that  is  because  most 
people  find  it  easier  to  be  sorry  for  others'  woes  than  to  be 
glad  at  others'  joys.  I  don't  know  why  that  should  be, 
unless  it  is  that  there's  a  little  bit  of  jealousy  at  the 
bottom  of  our  hearts,  and  that  little  bit  of  jealousy 
comes  up  to  the  top  when  we  hear  of  anyone  who  has 
had  any  special  good  fortune. 

Boys  and  girls,  if  you  are  ever  bothered  with  that 
mean  little  feeling  give  it  no  mercy,  kill  it  right  away. 
Do  the  sympathetic  thing  and  the  fine  thing.  Rejoice 
in  your  friend's  joy.  Here's  the  message  of  the  topaz 
in  other  words,  "Halve  your  friends'  sorrows,  and 
double  their  joys." 


SEALS. 

Clay  under  the  seal.— Job  xxxviii.  14. 

Have  you  ever  played  at  making  seals  ?  It  is  a 
fascinating  game.  All  you  require  is  a  lighted  candle, 
a  stick  of  sealing-wax,  a  piece  of  paper,  and  the  loan  of 
a  die  or  a  signet  ring  from  father  or  mother.  Hold  the 
sealing-wax  in  the  candle-flame  until  it  is  soft  enough 
to  drop  on  the  paper.  When  you  have  dropped  the 
spot  of  wax  take  your  die  or  signet  and  stamp  it 
quickly,  evenly,  and  firmly  in  the  hot  wax.  Keep  it 
there  for  a  minute,  then  raise  it  gently,  and  you  will 
find  that  the  motto  or  crest  or  initials  on  your  die  will 
be  imprinted  on  the  wax.  You  may  not  make  a  very 
neat  job  the  first  time  you  try  it,  or  even  the  third 
time,  or  the  thirtieth — the  wax  may  look  black  and 
smoked,  the  impression  may  be  faint  at  one  part,  or  the 
drop  of  wax  may  not  have  been  the  right  shape,  and  a 
piece  of  the  seal  may  be  awanting.  It  is  all  a  case  of 
practice,  and  practice  makes  perfection.  Go  on  trying 
if  mother  does  not  object  to  your  using  a  lighted  candle, 
and  father  does  not  grudge  the  wax. 

If  they  do,  I'll  tell  you  of  an  easier,  cheaper,  and 
safer  way  to  make  seals ;  it  requires  neither  wax  nor 
candle  nor  paper — only  the  die  or  signet  and  your  own 

312 


JOB  XXXVIII.  14  813 

willing  hand.  Press  the  die  for  a  short  time  on  the  back  of 
your  hand.  When  you  raise  it  you  will  find  the  device 
stamped  perfectly  on  your  flesh.  Of  course  it  will  fade 
in  a  few  minutes,  but,  since  it  costs  nothing,  you  can  do 
it  over  and  over  again,  till  you  grow  tired  of  the  game. 

Most  of  the  seals  we  are  accustomed  to  see  are  made 
of  wax,  but  seals  have  been  and  still  are  made  of  other 
materials — of  metal,  for  instance.  In  the  Middle  Ages 
the  Popes  used  to  attach  leaden  seals  called  bullae 
(from  the  Latin  word  bulla  meaning  a  circular  orna- 
ment) to  their  decrees,  and  that  is  how  we  read  in 
history  books  of  Papal  "  bulls." 

Sometimes,  but  rarely,  the  seals  were  made  of  gold. 
When  a  Pope  wanted  to  confer  a  title  on  a  monarch 
he  sealed  the  document  with  a  golden  seal.  When  one 
of  the  Popes  gave  King  Henry  the  Eighth  the  title  of 
"Defender  of  the  Faith,"  he  sealed  the  paper  with  a 
golden  seal ;  and  you  can  see  that  very  seal  to-day  if 
you  look  for  it  in  the  British  Museum. 

But  the  kind  of  seal  of  which  our  text  speaks  is  much 
older  than  that  given  to  Henry  the  Eighth.  It  is  a 
seal  made  of  neither  metal  nor  wax,  for  the  material  on 
which  it  is  stamped  is  clay.  It  was  the  kind  of  seal 
used  by  the  Babylonians  and  Assyrians  thousands  of 
years  ago.  They  took  the  moist  clay  and  they  stamped 
it  with  the  die,  and  then  they  baked  it  hard  in  the 
oven  or  in  the  sun.  There  still  exist  some  of  these 
ancient  clay  seals  with  the  marks  where  the  string  or 
strip  of  leather  was  fastened  to  them.     And  you  may 


314  SEALS 

see  too  the  very  dies  or  stamps,  or  matrices,  as  they  are 
called,  which  made  the  impression.  These  early  dies 
were  not  shaped  like  ours ;  they  were  often  round  like 
a  roller,  and  as  they  rolled  over  the  soft  clay  they  left 
a  figured  impression  behind. 

Boys  and  girls,  I  think  we  are  rather  like  that  piece 
of  clay.  When  we  come  into  the  world  we  are  like  the 
smooth  soft  mass  without  any  marks  on  it,  but  as  life 
rolls  on  it  leaves,  as  the  roller  leaves  on  the  clay,  a 
lasting  impression  on  us.  But  though  we  may  be  like 
the  clay  in  some  ways  we  are  unlike  it  in  this — that 
we  can  choose  the  kind  of  impression  or  pattern  that 
will  be  stamped  on  us.  We  can  say  whether  it  will  be 
a  good  and  beautiful  impression  that  we  shall  bear,  or 
whether  it  will  be  one  both  distorted  and  ugly.  It  all 
depends  on  who  holds  the  die.  If  we  go  to  Christ  and 
say  to  Him,  "  Here  is  my  life  all  before  me,  help  me  to 
make  it  good  and  beautiful ;  help  me  to  make  the  very 
best  of  it ;  help  me  to  stamp  it  truly  and  well " — if  we 
say  that  to  Christ,  He  will  take  the  die  into  His  own 
hand,  and  He  will  stamp  our  Hfe  for  us. 

And  what  do  you  think  the  impression  will  be? 
Why,  it  will  be  just  a  portrait  of  Himself.  In  olden 
days  kings  had  on  their  royal  seals  their  own  portraits, 
and  when  they  stamped  anything  with  the  royal  seal 
everyone  knew  it  belonged  to  the  king  for  they  saw 
his  image  there.  So  with  Christ's  seal  Others  looking 
on  us  and  seeing  the  impression  on  our  clay  will  say, 
"  They  too  belong  to  Christ" 


THE  TREASURES  OF  THE  SNOW. 

Hast  thou  entered  the  treasuries  of  the  snow  ? — Job  xxxviii.  22, 

To-day  I  want  you  to  come  with  me  into  a  wonderful 
treasure-house  and  we  shall  walk  round  and  look  at  the 
treasures.  It  is  the  treasure-house  of  the  snow. 
Perhaps  you  never  thought  very  much  about  the 
treasures  of  the  snow.  You  may  have  thought  more  of 
its  pleasures,  of  the  snow-balls  and  snow  men  you  could 
make,  and  the  sledge  rides  you  could  take.  But  its 
treasure**  are  well  worth  looking  at  too. 

1.  The  first  treasure  we  shall  look  at  is  its  heauty. 

You  go  to  sleep  one  night  in  a  bleak,  dingy  world 
and  you  wake  up  next  morning  to  find  that  the  earth 
has  put  on  its  beautiful  white  winter  dress.  Last  night 
the  brown  earth  lay  cold  and  bare,  a  few  dead  flowers 
drooped  their  withered  heads,  and  the  tall  trees  shivered 
as  they  waved  their  leafless  arms.  But  to-day  all  is 
transformed : — 

The  snow  had  begun  in  the  gloaming. 

And  busily  all  the  night 
Had  been  heaping  field  and  highway 

With  a  silence  deep  and  white. 

Every  pine  and  fir  and  hemlock 

Wore  ermine  too  dear  for  an  earl, 
ai6 


316     THE  TREASURES  OF  THE  SNOW 

And  the  poorest  twig  on  the  elm-tree 
Was  ridged  inch  deep  with  pearl.* 

And  not  only  are  the  earth  and  trees  and  flowers 
changed,  but  the  ugly  walls  and  houses  which  man 
has  built  have  got  their  share  of  the  beautiful  white 
dress. 

Then  have  you  ever  tried  to  look  at  a  snowflake 
through  a  microscope  ?  If  you  have  you  will  have  seen 
something  very  wonderful  and  beautiful,  for  each 
snowflake  is  made  up  of  numbers  of  little  crystals  that 
take  the  form  of  six-pointed  stars.  Sometimes,  when 
the  flakes  are  very  tiny,  each  one  is  a  single  star,  but 
more  frequently  the  little  stars  join  together  to  make 
a  flake.  Nor  are  these  crystals  all  alike.  More  than  a 
thousand  different  varieties  have  been  noticed.  Some 
are  quite  plain  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  but  in  others 
the  rays  of  the  star  are  formed  of  the  finest  lacework. 
Each  little  snow  crystal  is  like  a  perfect  little  flower 
which  God  has  sent  down  from  His  sky-garden. 

Now  I  wonder  if  you  ever  thought  about  the  trouble 
God  takes  to  make  things  beautiful.  He  need  not 
have  made  the  snowflakes  so  lovely.  It  would  have 
been  enough  if  He  had  made  them  useful.  But  He 
could  not  make  them  otherwise,  just  because  He  is 
God,  and  God  is  love ;  He  could  not  have  made  them 
otherwise,  because  He  wanted  to  give  us  joy.  Every- 
thing that  God  makes  is  beautiful.  He  made  the 
flowers,  and  the  trees,  and  the  grass,  the  moon  and  the 
stars,  the  blue  sea,  and  the  everlasting  hills.  It  is 
*  J.  Russell  Lowell,  The  First  Snowfall. 


JOB  XXXVIII.  22  317 

man  who  spoils  things  and  makes  them  ugly.  He  digs 
up  the  beautiful  green  fields  and  plants  ugly  towns  on 
them,  or  runs  railways  through  the  middle  of  them,  or 
covers  them  with  heaps  of  coal  refuse. 

God  meant  our  souls  to  be  beautiful  too,  but  we  have 
allowed  sin  to  spoil  them.  Yet  they  can  still  be  made 
beautiful  if  we  will  give  them  back  into  His  keeping  to 
mould  them. 

2.  The  next  treasure  I  want  you  to  look  at  is  the 
warmth  of  the  snow. 

Perhaps  you  think  it  is  a  funny  thing  to  call  the 
snow  warm.  You  could  have  understood  if  I  had 
called  it  cold,  because  you  know  how  your  fingers  tingle 
when  you  try  to  make  snow-balls.  Nevertheless  the 
snow  forms  a  warm  blanket  for  the  earth.  In  the 
Psalms  there  is  a  verse  that  says,  "He  giveth  snow 
like  wool."  And  snow  is  just  like  wool  because  it 
prevents  heat  from  escaping.  When  it  falls  on  the 
earth  it  helps  to  keep  in  the  heat  that  the  earth  has 
absorbed  during  the  summer-time. 

Scientists  who  have  made  experiments  have  found 
out  that  under  two  feet  of  snow  the  temperature  is 
forty  degrees  warmer  than  above  it,  and  in  cold 
climates  farmers  depend  on  the  snow  to  keep  the  hard 
frosts  off  their  sown  crops.  Underneath  the  snow 
beautiful  flowers  have  been  found  growing  that  would 
have  perished  in  much  milder  climates  if  exposed  to 
the  air,  and  up  in  the  Alps  some  of  the  loveliest  flowers 
grow  on  the  edge  of  the  snow-fielda 


318     THE  TREASURES  OF  THE  SNOW 

Little  snowflakes  falling  lightly, 
Little  snowflakes  falling  whitely, 
Cover  up  the  sleeping  flowers, 
Keep  them  warm  through  winter  hoars. 

Do  you  know 

"Why  the  snow 
Is  hurrying  through  the  garden  so? 

Just  to  spread 

A  nice  soft  bed 
For  the  sleepy  flowers'  head, 

To  cuddle  up  the  baby  ferns,  and  smooth  the  lily's  sheet, 
And  tuck  a  warm  white  blanket  down  around  the  roses'  feet. 

I  wonder  what  the  flowers  think  when  the  snow 
comes  on  the  top  of  them  ?  Perhaps  they  think  it  is 
very  hard  to  be  shut  away  from  the  light.  But  if  the 
snow  didn't  come  they  would  never  blossom  next 
spring.  And  I  think  it  is  just  like  that  with  the  hard 
things  we  have  to  endure.  It  is  the  difficulties  we 
overcome  and  the  hardships  we  bear  that  make  the 
sweetest  and  fairest  flowers  blossom  in  our  characters. 

3.  Another  of  the  treasures  of  the  snow  is  its  poioer. 

If  you  watch  it  coming  down  so  gently  and  softly 
you  may  think  it  is  one  of  the  weak  things  of  the 
world,  and  if  you  weigh  a  snowflake  on  a  pair  of  scales 
it  will  not  even  make  the  scales  tremble.  Yet  a 
snowstorm  can  stop  trains,  block  roads,  break  telegraph 
wires,  interrupt  labour.  And  up  in  the  mountains 
avalanches  of  snow  can  destroy  villages,  tear  great 
rocks  from  their  foundations,  change  the  face  of  a 
mountain-side. 

Now  sometimes  we  are  tempted  to  think  we  can't 


JOB  XXXVIII.   22  319 

be  of  very  much  use  and  can't  do  very  much  good  in 
the  world.  We  are  so  weak  and  small,  and  the  world 
is  such  a  very  big  place,  and  we  are  tempted  to  give 
up  trying.  But  remember  it  is  each  little  snowflake 
doing  its  own  part  that  makes  for  strength,  each  one 
falling  in  its  own  place  without  ceasing.  And  if  the 
tiny  snowflakes  that  weigh  next  to  nothing  can  be  so 
powerful,  surely  we  can  be  of  very  great  value  if  we 
put  our  weight  on  the  right  side. 

4.  One  more  treasure  I  want  you  to  look  at.  It  is* 
the  purity  of  the  snow. 

Newly  fallen  snow  is  the  whitest  thing  in  the  world. 
If  you  take  out  your  handkerchief  on  a  snowy  day  you 
know  how  grey  and  grimy  it  looks.  But  when  the 
snow  falls  on  a  city  steeet  it  does  not  stay  white  long. 
Soon  it  gets  covered  with  soot,  or  mixed  with  mud  and 
turned  into  slush,  and  then  we  get  rid  of  it  as  quickly 
as  we  can  by  carting  it  away. 

Now  you  remember  we  noticed  that  sin  spoiled  our 
beauty.  Well,  there  is  another  thing  it  does — it  soils 
our  whiteness.  We  are  not  long  in  ttie  world  before 
it  begins  to  lay  its  ugly  marks  upon  us.  And  those 
marks  will  never  come  off  unless  we  ask  God  to  wash 
them  clean. 

God  can  melt  tiie  dirty  snow  in  our  city  streets.  He 
can  lift  it  up  into  the  clouds  and  turn  it  again  into 
beautiful  white  snow.  And  He  can  lift  us  up  too  and 
wash  away  all  our  stains  and  make  us  "whiter  than 
snow." 


WHO   SENDS  THE  RAIN? 

Hath  the  rain  a  father? — Job  xxxviii.  28. 

The  words  of  the  text  sound  as  if  they  were  a  bit  out 
of  a  fairy  tale.  Where  but  in  a  fairy  tale  does  one 
hear  of  such  a  thing  as  the  rain  having  a  father  ?  You 
say  to  yourselves  that  if  every  verse  in  this  wonderful 
Book  of  Job  were  like  this  one  you  would  read  it 
straight  through  without  stopping. 

As  most  of  you  know,  the  Book  of  Job  was  written 
by  an  Oriental — that  is  a  person  belonging  to  a  country 
far  away  to  the  east — and  eastern  people  have  ways  of 
thinking  very  different  from  ours.  Even  the  ancient 
Greeks,  who  were  not  Orientals,  had  a  way  of  putting 
everything  under  charge  of  some  god.  The  air,  the 
winds,  and  the  waters  were  peopled  with  spiritual 
beings,  and  everything  in  the  natural  world  was  under 
their  control.  Iris  was  the  goddess  who  brought  the 
beautiful  rainbow  out  of  the  dark  clouds  and  formed 
with  it  a  bridge  between  earth  and  heaven.  Aurora 
was  the  goddess  by  whose  power  the  dawn  crimsoned 
the  east  and  ushered  in  each  new  day. 

Your  text  is  an  example  of  the  same  thing.  Instead 
of  asking,  "  Who  made  the  rain  t "  the  writer  has  put 
down,  "  Hath  the  rain  a  father  ? " 

320 


JOB  XXXVIII.   28  321 

Little  boys  and  girls  are  like  these  people  in  a 
certain  way.  Before  they  go  to  school  for  the  first 
time,  they  think  of  nearly  everything  about  them  as 
being  alive.  The  wind  is  something  that  is  very 
strong  and  is  often  cruel.  The  moon  is  a  face  that 
keeps  laughing  all  the  time.  The  huge  guardian 
trees  of  the  wood  are  hoary  old  men,  older  than 
any  grandfather.  Jack  Frost  is  a  funny  little  man 
who  on  cold  mornings  draws  lovely  pictures  on  the 
windows. 

But  school  soon  drives  away  all  those  ideas.  There 
you  learn  things  about  nature.  You  are  very  soon  able 
to  say,  "  I  know  where  the  rain  comes  from.  It  comes 
from  the  clouds,  and  the  clouds  come  from  the  sea ;  it 
is  the  sun  that  raises  the  vapours  from  the  sea  to  form 
the  clouds,  and  these  clouds  are  driven  by  the  winds 
and  attracted  by  the  mountains,  and  so  reach  places 
where  they  are  to  send  down  showers  upon  the  ground. 
It  is  all  very  true,  and  as  I  said  interesting  also ;  but 
the  more  you  study  the  more  you  want  to  put  the 
question,  "  Who  superintends  everything  ?  Who  really 
does  send  the  rain  ? " 

Not  that  you  like  it !  We  in  this  dim  and  cloudy 
country  have  rather  a  prejudice  against  rain.  Once  a 
boy  had  been  promised  a  visit  to  a  farm.  He  could 
hardly  sleep  for  joy  the  night  before  the  promised  visit. 
He  thought  of  all  he  would  see  there.  There  was  the 
stable,  and  the  big  horse  on  which  he  would  get  a  ride. 
There  were  hens  and  ducks.  There  was  the  ploughman 
who  might  take  him  a  drive  in  his  cart,  and  allow  him 


322  WHO  SENDS  THE  RAIN? 

to  hold  the  reins.  But  when  the  morning  came,  the 
rain  was  lashing  on  the  windows.  Even  before  he  got 
up  he  knew  that  there  was  no  chance  of  going  to  the 
farm  that  day,  so  he  cried,  and  complained  that  his 
holiday  had  been  spoilt  by  the  nasty  rain.  But  at  the 
very  farm  which  the  little  fellow  was  to  visit,  his  uncle, 
when  he  rose  and  saw  the  rain  falling,  rubbed  his 
hands,  and  was  as  jolly  as  his  young  nephew  had  been 
the  evening  before.  His  land  wanted  rain,  and  if  it 
had  delayed  coming  what  was  growing  in  the  fields 
would  have  been  ruined. 

Even  when  the  rain  cheats  you  of  a  trip  to  the 
country  don't  forget  that  it  may  be  a  great  blessing 
to  the  farmer.  A  traveller  with  his  guide  was 
on  one  occasion  passing  over  the  range  of  Carmel 
when  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents.  The  guide 
threw  a  large  Arab  cloak  over  the  traveller,  say- 
ing, "May  God  preserve  you,  while  He  is  blessing 
the  fields." 

There  is  a  great  English  writer  who  speaks  of  the 
cloud  that  brings  the  rain  as  "  The  Angel  of  the  Sea." 
That  is  a  beautiful  thought;  but  this  verse  gives  us 
one  that  is  even  finer.  It  is  that  the  God  who  sends 
the  soft  gentle  rain,  as  well  as  the  great  dashing 
rains,  is  your  Father  and  mine.  He  takes  care  of 
UB,  and  will  never  really  le<i  anything  hurt  us.  His 
plan  for  all  of  us  must  in  the  end  be  kind,  for 
He  is  too  wise  to  make  mistakes  and  too  loving  to 
do  anything  that  is  against  the  real  good  of  His 
creatures. 


JOB  XXXVIII.   28  323 

Soft  comes  the  April  rain  to  bud  and  flower 
And  tender  grass:— the  shrinking  violet 

Unharmed  receives  the  gently  falling  shower. 
And  scarce  her  petals  by  its  gift  are  wet: 

The  blue-bell,  peeping  from  the  trellised  bower, 
Holds  up  her  tiny  goblet  to  the  sky, 

Till  on  its  rim  a  dainty  pearl  is  set, 

Such  as  the  Indies  cannot  give  nor  buy  : — 

Hid  in  the  fragrant  blossom  sits  the  bee, 

Secure ;  the  oriole  forgets  his  melody. 

And  trails  his  scarlet  wings,  his  ebon  bill 
Uplifting  gratefully ;  and  as  I  look,  the  hill 

Is  bathed  in  sunlight;  ceased  the  gentle  rain, 

And  bird  and  bee  take  up  their  song  again.  ^ 

*  Robert  F.  Roden,  in  A  Garkund  of  Verse,  158. 


POINTERS. 

The  Bear  with  her  train. — Job  xxxviii.  32. 

We  all  know  a  pointer  when  we  see  it,  don't  we  ?  It 
is  a  long  slender  piece  of  wood  which  our  teachers  use 
to  show  us  places  on  the  map,  or  point  out  words  or 
figures  on  the  blackboard.  Yes,  but  the  school  pointer 
is  only  one  kind  of  pointer,  and  any  of  you  who  think 
a  moment  will  be  able  to  tell  me  of  many  more.  There 
are,  for  instance,  the  signposts  at  the  cross-roads  with 
their  long  outstretched  arms  pointing  to  the  different 
roads ;  there  is  the  pointed  hand  with  the  sticking-out 
first  finger  which  shows  the  way  to  any  special  place 
or  object;  there  is  the  weathercock  on  the  steeple 
which  points  in  the  direction  from  which  the  wind 
blows ;  there  are  the  hands  of  the  clock  which  point  to 
the  hours  and  the  minutes ;  and  last,  but  not  least, 
there  is  the  magnetic  needle  of  the  compass  which 
always  points  to  the  north. 

Well,  the  pointers  of  which  we  are  going  to  speak 
this  morning  are  older  than  any  of  these  pointers. 
The  chances  are  that  they  are  older  than  the  world 
itself.  For  thousands,  perhaps  millions,  of  years  they 
have  pointed  steadily  to  the  same  object,  and  for 
thousands  of  years  to  come  they  will  point  to  it  still. 

324 


JOB  XXXVIII.  32  325 

They  are  such  important  pointers  that  they  each 
have  a  name.  These  names  sound  rather  queer,  but 
here  they  are,  and  this  is  how  you  spell  them ! 
D-u-b-h-e,  Dubhe ;  and  M-e-r-a-k,  Merak.  Have  you 
guessed  them  yet  ?  Though  you  may  not  know  them 
by  their  names  you  know  them  well  by  sight.  You 
must  have  noticed  them  many  times  shining  up  in  the 
sky,  for  they  are  the  two  stars  in  the  blade  of  the 
"  Plough  "  which  always  point  to  the  Pole  Star.  They 
are  the  compass  of  the  sky. 

You  know  what  the  "  Plough  "  is  like.  It  is  a  cluster 
of  seven  stars.  Three  of  them  form  the  handle  of  the 
plough,  and  four  form  the  blade.  The  two  which  form 
the  front  part  of  the  blade  farthest  away  from  the 
handle  are  our  friends  with  the  strange  names. 

Now  the  "  Plough  "  is  part  of  a  constellation  or  cluster 
of  stars  known  as  the  "  Great  Bear."  The  three  handle 
stars  are  the  Bear's  tail,  and  the  four  blade  stars  are 
part  of  the  Bear's  body.  You  may  have  seen  pictures 
of  the  various  groups  of  stars  showing  the  people  and 
animals  they  were  supposed  to  resemble.  From  these 
they  received  their  names.  As  far  as  we  know  it  was 
the  Chaldeans,  five  thousand  years  ago,  who  first  named 
and  studied  the  stars.  At  any  rate  by  the  time  of  Job 
this  particular  cluster  was  known  as  the  "  Bear,"  and 
when  our  text  speaks  of  God  guiding  "  the  Bear  with 
her  train  "  it  just  means  that  God  guides  the  stars  that 
form  that  constellation — the  train  being  the  tail  stars. 

Different  nations  have  given  the  "Great  Bear'* 
different  names,  according  to  the  pictures  they  fancied 


326  POINTERS 

it  formed.  The  Greeks  called  it  "  a  chariot " ;  and  the 
ancient  Gauls  named  it  "  Arthur's  Chariot " ;  whilst 
our  own  forefathers  spoke  of  it  as  the  "  Churrs  Wain  " 
— that  is  to  say,  the  peasant's  waggon,  now  corrupted 
into  "  Charles'  Wain."  The  Americans  call  it  the 
"  Dipper,"  because  they  think  that  the  part  we  know  as 
the  "  Plough  "  is  shaped  like  a  ladle — and  so  it  is. 

But  the  "  Great  Bear  "  is  not  the  only  bear.  There 
is  a  "  Little  Bear  "  as  well ;  and  the  bright  star  in  the 
very  tip  of  the  "  Little  Bear's  "  tail  is  to  the  sailor  or 
the  traveller  the  most  important  star  in  all  the  sky, 
for  it  shines  always  in  the  north,  and  from  it  they  can 
find  their  way.  Indeed,  before  the  compass  was  in- 
vented the  stars  were  all  that  men  had  to  guide  them. 
By  studying  the  map  of  the  sky  they  found  their  way 
on  the  map  of  the  world. 

We  have  got  rather  far  away  from  our  friends 
Dubhe  and  Merak,  but  now  we  are  coming  back  to 
them.  The  marvellous  thing  about  them  is  that  though 
the  "  Great  Bear "  changes  its  place  and  circles  round 
the  Pole  Star,  these  pointers,  no  matter  where  they 
may  be,  always  point  straight  to  the  Pole  Star.  Other 
stars  and  other  constellations  may  come  and  go,  but  if 
the  sky  is  clear  and  the  stars  are  shining,  there  you 
will  see  the  North  Star  and  its  faithful  pointers. 

Now,  I  wonder  how  you  would  like  to  be  a  pointer 
star  ?  It  sounds  a  far-away  sort  of  business,  doesn't 
it  ?  and  a  cold  one  too  on  a  frosty  winter  night !  But 
there  is  no  need  for  you  to  climb  up  into  the  sky  in 
order  to  be  a  pointer.     You  can  be  a  pointer  here  od 


JOB  XXXVIII.   32  327 

earth  ;  and  you  can  point  to  a  star  more  splendid  than 
any  that  ever  shone  in  the  heavens.  You  can  point  to 
the  Star  of  all  the  worlds,  Christ  Himself. 

You  remember  that  when  Christ  came  a  beautiful 
star  appeared  and  stood  over  the  inn  at  Bethlehem ; 
but  the  Baby  that  lay  in  the  manger  was  greater  than 
the  star  that  shone  over  Him.  He  was  the  Star  of 
stars,  the  Star  that  was  to  bring  peace  and  hope  and 
love  into  this  dark  world.  And  we  older  people  and 
you  boys  and  girls  can  be  pointers  to  that  Star.  With 
God's  help  we  can  always  keep  true  and  faithful  to 
Christ.  We  can  live  and  love  and  work  and  pray,  so 
that  looking  at  us  the  world  will  say,  "  There  is  one 
who  points  us  to  Christ." 


SEEING  THE   KING. 

I  had  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear ; 
But  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee. — Job  xlii.  5. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  in  a  far-away  land  a 
poor  man  who  had  one  little  son.  The  boy's  mother 
was  dead,  and  as  he  had  no  brothers  or  sisters  to  play 
with  he  was  often  very  lonely. 

Not  very  far  from  where  the  boy  lived  was  the 
palace  of  the  great  King.  But  although  his  sovereign 
lived  so  near  the  boy  had  never  seen  him ;  for  this 
King  had  the  power  to  make  himself  invisible,  and  it 
was  only  those  whose  eyes  had  been  touched  with  a 
certain  eye-salve  who  could  behold  him. 

Now  the  boy's  father  worked  for  the  King  and  he 
went  twice  every  day  to  the  palace.  In  the  morning 
he  went  to  get  orders  for  the  day's  work.  In  the 
evening  he  gave  an  account  of  all  that  he  had  done, 
and  received  the  royal  pardon  for  the  mistakes  he  had 
made. 

The  boy  always  looked  forward  to  the  hour  when  his 
father  came  home  at  night.  For  then  the  man  took 
him  on  his  knee  and  told  him  stories  about  the  King, 
and  of  how  great,  and  wise,  and  kind,  and  good  he  was. 
And  he  told  him,  too,  about  the  beautiful  palace  and  how 

S88 


JOB   XLII.   5  329 

some  day,  when  his  work  was  done,  he  was  going  to 
live  there  with  the  King  always,  and  never  be  hungry, 
or  cold,  or  tired  any  more. 

Sometimes  the  boy  asked  why  his  father  worked  for 
the  King,  and  the  father  always  answered,  "  Because  I 
love  him  and  he  loves  me  and  has  done  so  much  for 
me.  Although  I  am  only  a  poor  man  he  calls  me  his 
friend,  and  it  is  always  the  King's  friends  who  work  for 
him.  First  they  are  his  friends  and  then  they  are  his 
servants — not  because  they  have  to  be,  but  because 
they  want  to  be."  The  boy  used  often  to  puzzle  over 
that  answer,  but  his  father  always  said,  "  Some  day 
you  will  understand." 

Now  the  more  his  father  talked  about  the  King,  the 
more  the  boy  wished  to  see  him.  It  was  all  very  well 
hearing  about  him,  but  how  much  better  it  would  be 
to  see  him  for  himself !  But  his  clothes  were  very  old 
and  shabby  and  he  was  afraid  to  enter  the  royal 
presence  in  rags. 

One  night  his  father  had  been  talking  to  him  as 
usual  and  at  last  he  could  contain  himself  no  longer. 
"  Oh,  Father,"  he  said, "  I  wish  I  could  see  the  Kins." 
And  his  father  replied,  "Then  you  shall  see  him." 
The  boy  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears.  "May  I 
really  and  truly  go  and  see  him?"  he  asked.  "Are 
you  sure  he  would  really  wish  to  see  me  ? "  "  Why,  of 
course,"  replied  the  father,  "  do  you  not  know  that  the 
King  has  issued  an  invitation  for  anybody  to  come  to 
him  who  wants  to  come  ? "  "  Then  why  doesn't  every- 
body go  ? "  asked  the  boy.     «  Ah,"  said  his  father,  "  that 


330  SEEING  THE  KING 

is  because  some  people  are  so  foolish  as  not  to  luaiit 
to  go." 

The  boy  felt  very  happy  that  at  last  he  was  really 
and  truly  going  to  see  the  King,  but  suddenly  he 
remembered  his  shabby  clothes.  "  Oh,  Father,"  he  said, 
"  I  can't  go  in  these  rags  and  I  have  no  money  to  buy 
new  ones.  I'm  afraid  I  can't  see  the  King  after  all." 
But  his  father  answered,  "Don't  you  know  that  he 
would  rather  have  you  come  just  as  you  are  ? "  "  And 
when  shall  we  start?"  asked  the  boy.  "May  we  go 
to-morrow  morning  ? "  But  his  father  replied,  "  No,  we 
shall  start  to-night.  It  is  never  too  soon  to  go  to  the 
King." 

So  they  set  out  for  the  palace  in  the  darkness  and 
at  last  they  reached  the  gates.  The  father  gave  the 
password  to  the  sentry  and  immediately  the  gates  were 
opened  and  they  found  themselves  in  a  large  courtyard. 
Crossing  this  they  reached  the  palace  and  the  father 
led  his  son  through  some  corridors  till  they  came  to 
the  King's  presence  chamber.  The  door  was  shut,  but 
the  man  knocked  and  immediately  a  kind  voice  said, 
"  Come  in."  They  entered  at  once  and  the  little  boy 
felt  very  excited  and  rather  shy. 

But  when  he  got  inside  he  was  much  astonished. 
The  room  was  beautiful,  far  more  beautiful  than  he 
had  ever  imagined,  but  to  all  appearance  it  was  empty. 
At  one  end  stood  the  throne,  but  apparently  it  was 
vacant.  Then  he  remembered  the  eye-salve,  and  just 
at  that  moment  his  father  spoke.  "  I  have  brought 
thee  mine  only  son,  oh  gracious  King.     He  desired  to 


JOB  XLII.  5  331 

see  thee  and  to  know  thee."  And  the  kind  Toice 
replied,  oh,  so  gently,  "Welcome,  little  boy,  I  have 
been  waiting  for  you,  and  I  am  glad  you  have 
come  so  soon.  They  call  me  'the  Friend  of  little 
children.'     Would  you  like  me  to  be  your  friend  ? " 

And  the  little  boy  fell  on  his  knees  before  the 
throne  and  said,  "Indeed,  oh  great  King,  it  is  too 
much  to  ask,  but  if  thou  wilt  be  my  friend,  then  I  shall 
be  thy  servant  all  my  days,  even  as  my  father  is." 
Then  the  King  replied,  "  Little  boy  I  am  your  friend. 
Put  your  hand  in  mine." 

So  the  boy  put  out  his  hand  although  he  could  not 
see  the  King  and  immediately  he  felt  it  grasped  by  a 
hand  that  was  kind  and  strong.  Then  his  eyes  were 
touched  and  something  that  was  darkening  their  vieion 
fell  away,  and  he  saw  the  King  in  his  beauty. 

The  boy  bowed  his  face  to  the  ground  but  the  King 
lifted  him  up.  He  set  him  on  his  knee,  and  put  his 
kind  arms  round  him.  And  he  told  him  how  much  he 
had  loved  him  and  longed  for  him  to  come  to  him,  and 
how,  now  that  he  had  once  found  his  way,  he  must 
return  very  often  until  the  day  arrived  when  he  should 
come  to  live  with  him  for  ever.  Then  he  set  him 
down  very  gently  and  bade  him  "  Good  night,"  and  the 
father  and  son  set  out  on  their  homeward  way. 

But  the  presence  of  the  King  seemed  to  go  with 
them,  and  all  the  way  something  was  singing  in  the 
boy's  heart.  And  at  last  he  said,  "  Oh,  Father,  you 
didn't  tell  me  half  of  how  good  and  great  and  loving 
he  was.     It  is  far,  far  better  to  know  the  King  than 


332  SEEING  THE  KING 

just  to  hear  about  him.  And  now  he  is  going  to  be 
my  friend  too  ! " 

Boys  and  girls,  there  is  a  great  King  who  wants  to 
be  your  Friend.  Yoa  have  heard  about  Him  often  from 
your  father  and  mother,  from  your  minister  or  your 
teacher.  But  there  is  something  far  better  than  hear- 
ing about  Him  and  that  is  seeing  Him  and  knowing 
Him  for  yourself.  There  is  no  comparison  between 
the  two. 

Do  you  know  Him  like  that  ?  It  is  never  too  soon 
to  begin  to  know  the  Friend  of  little  children  and  He 
invites  everybody  to  come  to  Him.  How  can  you 
make  Him  your  Friend  ?  Just  by  putting  your  hand 
in  His.  Then  He  will  anoint  your  eyes  with  the  eye- 
salve  of  faith  and  love,  and  you  will  see  Him  in  His 
beauty.  And  He  will  lead  you  safely  through  life's 
joys  and  sorrows  and  temptations  till  at  last  He  brings 
you  to  dweU  with  Him  for  ever  where  you  will  behold 
Him  face  to  face. 


Princeton  Theolooical  ..aiiin  llfl MH II IH  I 


1      1 


012  01249  5059 


Date  Due 

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